One Summer of Joy
by Svinorita
Summary: As Riley adjusts to her new life in San Francisco, Joy is facing her own dilemma...is her position as Riley's Lead Emotion really going to last forever? As she struggles to hold onto her top position, Joy turns to each of the other Emotions for help. But it seems a purple Emotion is willing to help a bit more than the others...he gives her advice as well as his heart!
1. Who's The Boss?

Chapter 1.

It was an overcast summer evening in San Francisco and Riley Andersen was upstairs in her room, staring out her window dreamily as the rain softly beat against the glass while she listened to some music playing from her stereo.

It had been a hot and humid Sunday in mid-July and the news forecast had predicted thunderstorms developing later that evening, (much to Fear's dismay!) and the teen was looking forward to watching some lightning as she always found this natural phenomenon fascinating and beautiful.

Just as long as she was safely indoors when the lightning began and not stuck outside where there was the risk of being fatally struck by the very thing she was hoping to see…

Inside Headquarters, Sadness was watching the monitor with the same dreamy expression on her round blue face as her young host. The little blue Emotion loved watching the rain…because she was constantly feeling a bit down, she found the sight and sound of rain soothing and comforting in her own unique way. In fact, she derived the same amount of pleasure from watching rain as anyone else would in say…looking at a beautiful sunset on the beach?

Anger was sitting on the pink sofa near the console with his face buried in the daily edition of the _Mind Reader_. The red Emotion would let out an occasional grunt and grumble something incoherent to himself whenever he came across a topic in his newspaper that he deemed unfair or detrimental to Riley's daily life in one way or another. But so far, he was keeping his explosive temper relatively under control…

Disgust was standing near the reading section of the main room with her makeup mirror in one hand and a stick of mascara in the other as she expertly re-applied her makeup. Since Riley wasn't doing anything remotely interesting at the moment and seemed content to stare pointlessly at the rain outside, the green Emotion seized the opportunity to tend to some self-preening.

Fear was cowering in the corner and muttering incessantly about the dangers of thunderstorms and why anyone would enjoy looking at lightning when it could destroy a house with one strike or worse…actually kill a person if you weren't vigilant enough! But his warnings seemed to fall on deaf ears as no one was paying him the slightest bit of attention and eventually the purple Emotion reluctantly gave up on his lecturing and decided to fix himself a relaxing cup of tea to soothe his frayed nerves.

That only left Joy…

The normally cheerful and upbeat Lead Emotion was nowhere to be seen in the main room with her coworkers. Instead she was up in her private sleeping quarters, easing herself into her favorite chair with an exhausted sigh.

She had prepared a little foot spa for herself on the floor and slowly, she put her aching feet into the warm, soothing water. Usually she could be found dancing around energetically and jumping from joy even when the circumstances were not always a cause for celebration, and through her sheer exuberance and spirited antics she tended to lift the moods of everyone around her; be it Riley or her fellow Emotions.

But lately Joy had not been feeling her usual cheerful self and she didn't want the other Emotions to notice the recent changes in her personality. So she decided it was better if she distanced herself from the others while she tried to come to grips with her sudden decline in…well joyfulness.

Besides everyone is already busy helping Riley adjust to her new life since moving to San Francisco a few months ago, and Joy didn't want them to get distracted from their duties by worrying about _her_ as well.

But truth be told, Joy found herself struggling with her contributions to Riley more and more now that their girl was growing up and maturing.

 _Everything is happening so fast…_ the Lead Emotion mused sullenly as she stared at her feet with despair.

 _What is happening to me? I should be there to ensure Riley stays happy and positive all day every day! But something is changing and I feel like I can't keep up! Why can't things be the way they were when Riley was younger…?_

Joy smiled fondly to herself and her blue eyes got a faraway look as she remembered those innocent, happy years when Riley was little…

It seems like only yesterday that Riley was a high-spirited five year old with a huge smile constantly on her face as she found amazement and wonder in everything around her! For instance, she would giggle endlessly as she chased butterflies in their yard back in Minnesota.

Or what about those windy days in late fall, when Dad used to rake the autumn leaves into big piles on the front yard and Riley would wait eagerly until he finished raking and then squeal with delight as she ran and threw herself into the biggest piles, scattering Dad's hard work in all directions!

Even the smallest things, like watching a ladybug walk across her hand would send Riley into bouts of laughter as the tiny beetle's feet tickled her hand!

And it wasn't only Riley who seemed to find joy in everything back in those days…

Joy smiled sadly and wiped a small tear from the corner of her eye as she remembered how all the other kids used to play in the street from sunrise to sunset on the weekends and how they all had smiles of delight on their faces.

 _Where did those blissful days of innocence go?_ The yellow Emotion thought with a little sigh of yearning. She sniffled and a quiet sob escaped from her throat as she wiped away her tears.

Now more than ever, she was grateful that she was alone in her room. She is the very personification of happiness and when she cried, it seemed to fill all those around her with such intense grief that it felt as though their hearts were breaking. Joy hated seeing her friends this way, especially when their pain was brought on as a result of her actions (however unintentional those actions may have been).

But sometimes she just couldn't help herself, and right now was one of those times. Joy longed for those happy, carefree days of Riley's childhood with such intensity, that it felt like her heart would burst from yearning.

 _Okay. Pull yourself together Joy…_ she chided herself half-heartedly. _You are supposed to stay happy for Riley's sake and not be crying like a poor impersonator of Sadness!_

Yet, those were the happiest days in Riley's life. Back then being the Lead Emotion was a breeze and Joy would give anything to have those moments again…

Back when Riley was little, Joy had been so confident in her abilities that she was essentially the driving force behind everything Riley did. The other Emotions all contributed whenever it was necessary, but they were more like back-seat drivers and it was Joy that had the biggest role to play in Riley's day-to-day life.

And boy did she revel in her duties!

Although she was in a sense stealing the spotlight, the others never showed any feelings of jealousy towards their yellow coworker. It was like an unspoken agreement: Joy was Riley's first Emotion, therefore she was destined to be the Lead Emotion forever. They all acknowledged her leadership from the outset and up till now, Joy herself never gave it much thought either. She knew that with leadership comes great responsibility and she had spent her entire life weaving a sort of magical web of protection and happiness around their girl that she believed would last forever.

But lately it seemed as if that web was slowly breaking apart and Joy felt as if her time as Lead Emotion was slowly beginning to break away too. And it wasn't just the changes in Riley that had prompted these feelings of self-doubt inside the once confident Emotion…Joy couldn't help noticing that the world in general seems to be losing that special magic that makes people kinder to each other and to the planet.

There are some exceptions of course…

Joy smiled sweetly as she thought about the lovely old lady that lives next door to the Andersen's in the house to their right; Mrs. O'Leary with her three beloved cats and that huge smile of contentment that is always to be found on her wrinkly face. It seems like the simplest pleasures in life are enough for dear old Mrs. O'Leary…she lives alone but has her cats for company and she could spend hours in front of the TV watching "I Love Lucy" re-runs.

Because she hardly ever leaves the house, many kids in Riley's school think she's weird and call her a "Crazy Cat Lady" and stay well away from her. But ever since they moved here, Riley discovered what a kind and sweet-natured person her elderly neighbor actually is.

Mrs. O'Leary would always wave and say hello to Riley from her balcony whenever she walked past her house to school every day and she even offered her some of those tasty treats that she loved to bake. The kind old lady was a little on the heavy side, and she had bad arthritis in her hip so she couldn't walk very far even with the aid of her walking stick.

So Riley decided to repay her for her kindness by dropping by every now and then and asking her neighbor if she needed anything from the store that she could get for her. These offers always resulted in Riley getting a huge bear-hug of gratitude from Mrs. O'Leary, and it seems that even her cats had taken to Riley's friendship as they would often come out from the doorway and rub up affectionately against her legs.

Upon returning with whatever groceries her neighbor had requested, Riley would be rewarded with a tray full of delicious cakes or other sweet treats that were baked earlier in the day. Whereas Riley would thank the old lady and help herself to one or two mouth-watering treats, Mrs. O'Leary would laugh graciously and proceed to polish off the rest herself (which showed on her figure but at least she always stayed happy nonetheless!)

As Joy thought about that sweet old lady, she couldn't help marveling at how some people are so lucky to remain happy their whole lives. Clearly Mrs. O'Leary's Joy must be one motivated Emotion!

And Mrs. O'Leary is not the only example of true happiness Joy has seen recently. She recalled a few weeks ago when Riley had watched a cooking show on TV featuring a celebrity soap star and how that young man had oozed exuberance. In fact he reminded Joy a lot of herself back when she was feeling happy and carefree…throughout the whole show the bubbly young man never stopped skipping around the kitchen and giving his fellow participants high-fives while the Head Chef barked orders grumpily at them.

 _How on Earth has his Joy managed to remain so successful?_ Joy mused with a hint of envy.

But lately Joy has been seeing fewer and fewer happy faces wherever Riley goes and this has led to an intriguing and somewhat depressing thought forming in the back of her mind: is it possible that most people are born with Joy as their Lead Emotion, but then as they grow older and they are faced with the challenges of adult life, a change of Emotional leadership becomes inevitable?

Could her position as Riley's Lead Emotion be coming to an end even now? Throughout her whole life she believed that her role as leader was permanent. But what if the time comes when she is forced to step down and let one of the others take her place? And if so, then which Emotion would become Riley's new leader?

Joy admired and respected each of her coworkers just as much as they appeared to respect her. But still the thought of no longer being Riley's Lead Emotion filled her with despair. It's not that she didn't think Sadness, Fear, Disgust or Anger would make poor leaders…she just wanted their girl to stay happy as long as possible and she didn't know how that would be possible if any of the others were to become the new leader.

The yellow Emotion let out a deep sigh and shook her head sadly. Was it selfish of her to assume that none of the other Emotions would make a better leader than her? What gave her the right to judge any of their potentials when really, none of them had ever gotten the chance to prove themselves in that context?

Joy knew deep down that she was the biggest reason behind that. Although she allowed them all to do their jobs, she tended to intervene and meddle with their work whenever she felt that their influences were causing Riley emotional distress, even if the circumstances called for their skills instead of her own.

In fact, her reluctance to allow Sadness to do her job in the not-too-distant past, was what led to Riley losing her Core Memories in the first place, and had she and Sadness failed to make amends and retrieve those crucial memories, then who knows what would have become of their girl right now?

This was the biggest mistake Joy had ever made in her entire life. As Lead Emotion she really should have known better and she felt that she could never forgive herself for that. Had she been a little less possessive of the controls and just let Sadness do her job like she was supposed to, then none of that would ever have happened! As Emotions they all have their purpose and they need to work in harmony with each other to ensure the mental welfare of their host.

All this time Joy believed that by hogging the console and allowing only minimal input from the others, she was doing Riley some huge favor…she wanted Riley to feel nothing but happiness all the time. But this was not only unrealistic, it was incredibly selfish of her and in a sense she achieved nothing other than elevating her own importance over those of her fellow Emotions.

What kind of a leader does that to her friends? The others all look up to her for guidance and trust her to make the right decisions at the end of the day, but she had failed them! This depressing thought brought on another bout of tears and this time, Joy didn't even bother to wipe them away. She sat there looking like a former shadow of herself, staring in utter misery at her feet and letting the tears stream freely down her cheeks and drip onto her lap.

Lately she felt as if all the joyful stuffing had been kicked out of her by the events of everyday life and there was no longer any doubt in her mind…she was in a state of deep depression and she couldn't get herself out of it without the help of her friends.

 _But why should they help me?_ She wondered to herself dejectedly. _After the way I have treated them in the past, I don't deserve their kindness and sympathy!_

Lately, Joy felt like her coworkers' characteristics had become her alter-ego. She has become like a sponge, absorbing all their traits and venting those feelings onto herself: Sometimes she would get unbelievably sad, like she was now.

At other moments, she would become so angry at herself that she started mentally beating herself up, getting so frustrated with her inability to let go of past events that she truly hated herself. This in turn would lead to her feeling disgusted with herself for allowing such thoughts from ever entering her mind.

But most of all, she was afraid. She felt powerless and scared of what was happening to her and the fact that she wasn't coping. More than anything, she was afraid of moving forward…of letting go of the past and accepting the changes taking place in her life now in the present.

But it was the future that scared her the most, a so-called fear of the unknown as well as the increasingly likely possibility that she may not be Riley's Lead Emotion forever like she had promised to be.

 _And so what if you're no longer Riley's Lead Emotion!_ The reasoning side of Joy's mind scolded her as she tried to snap out of her self-pity.

 _Get a grip of yourself Joy! Being in charge is not the most important thing in the world…being there for Riley when she needs you to make her feel happy should be your biggest concern! Even the President doesn't remain in charge forever! Only dictators do…and you're not a dictator are you Joy?!_

Joy let out a little laugh of exasperation. She realized just how desperate she must be when her own conscience started yelling at her! But she had to admit, her inner voice had a valid point.

"I know I could be controlling in the past, but surely I'm not that bossy!" Joy said to herself aloud half-jokingly.

The nagging voice inside her head remained silent as if to say: _Are you really sure about that…?_

Joy sighed in defeat and mumbled, "Great. Now even my conscience has abandoned me…I must have really hit rock-bottom when I don't even want to talk to myself!"

Suddenly the voiced piped up again, and it did not sound impressed.

 _There you go again! Feeling sorry for yourself instead of getting off your butt and trying to do something about the situation! Seriously Joy, how can you expect to help Riley when you can't even help yourself?! You ought to be ashamed of yourself!_

Joy winced and looked to the floor guiltily. It turns out her conscience is not afraid of giving her a piece of its mind… (Or is _she_ just giving _herself_ a piece of _her own_ mind?)

"Okay…Joy you have officially lost your marbles!" She said to herself without humor.

"But my inner self is definitely right about one thing…I DO need help from the others if I am going to get through this with my sanity in one piece!"

Joy sat up straighter in her chair and a flash of her former determination passed through her eyes.

"This dilemma cannot be fixed in one night, by one Emotion." She nodded in understanding and the corner of her mouth twitched as an insecure smile briefly appeared on her face. Already she was formulating a plan in her mind about what she needed to do, but she was still feeling slightly hesitant and unsure.

"Riley has her last week of school before summer break starts, so she will be feeling relaxed and content around this time. That means the other Emotions won't be as busy at the console throughout the day as usual, so this would be the perfect opportunity to take action and seek their advice."

Joy let out a genuine laugh, (the first true laugh of happiness that she uttered in weeks) and said jokingly, "After all, Rome wasn't built in a day and not by one person!"

"Yes. I will approach each of the others individually and talk to them one-on-one about what's been troubling me and maybe they can each help me in their own unique ways?" She said this last part with uncertainty as though she was still feeling doubtful that they would _want_ to help her.

But she quickly pushed the thought aside and reassured herself, "What am I saying? They're my friends! They have always stood by me in the past even when I was guilty of making the wrong decisions…and if any of them were in my position right now I know _I_ would try to help them without question!"

She smiled warmly and said, "We are a team all working together to help Riley through life. And if any one member of that team is struggling and making mistakes, then the whole group will suffer. I have faith that the other Emotions can help me get through this dilemma and who knows? One of them might be a future leader in the making…"

"And when the time comes for me to step down from my position as Lead Emotion…" Joy promised sadly but with sincerity in her voice, "I will always be there to support and offer guidance to the new leader whoever they may be."

Suddenly the previously grumpy voice that had been complaining inside her head, returned. And this time it sounded more familiar and full of optimism just like Joy in her normal, uplifting self:

 _That's what I'm talking about! Team work! Team effort! Come on Joy…You can do this!_

XXX

 **AUTHOR'S NOTE:**

 **I know some of you may be reading this and thinking: "Wow…Joy is really depressed and why would she be believing that her role as Lead Emotion is ending? Also where is the romance that was mentioned in the story summary?"**

 **Okay. First things first: I decided to write this story about Joy's insecurities about being the leader because I was thinking the other day about how most people seem to be born happy – that is if you look at babies and young children you will usually notice they are always laughing and having fun (apart from the occasional moments when they are throwing tantrums or having a cry…those are glimpses of Anger and Sadness…)**

 **My point being that small kids tend to be happier more than adults more often. Now if we turn to "Inside Out" for inspiration, you could say that most children are born with Joy as their Lead Emotion (I think I may have been as well, but now that I am 25 years old I believe there has been a change of Emotional leadership and I feel like Fear or Sadness are mainly in control…)**

 **So is it possible that as people get older and their lifestyles change, that maybe they no longer can have Joy as their dominant Emotion? Going back to the movie, think about Riley's parents: Jill's Lead Emotion is Sadness and Bill's is Anger. Surely neither were born sad or angry? But something happened when they became adults that led to a change of Emotional leadership. Maybe this is what happens to the majority of people at some point in their lives? Only a very lucky few seem to have Joy as their main Emotion throughout their lives!**

 **That's why I decided to write this story…to explore the possibility of a change in Emotional leadership now that Riley is growing up and how Joy would be affected by this change. But just because I posed the idea, doesn't mean that Joy** **will** **end up losing her lead role, maybe Riley is one of those lucky people that can remain happy for life…? But I think it would be interesting to explore the idea and if there is to be a change in leader, it would be fun to see which of the other Emotions would step up to the role!**

 **But that's enough of the serious stuff for now!** **As for the romance I promised in the summary, expect to see some sparks fly when I get to chapter 3 and beyond…let's just say there is one Emotion in particular that will help Joy get through her troubles more than the others!**

 **In this first chapter I was trying to set the scene by explaining what's troubling Joy and how she's planning to go about seeking help. But if you have stuck around and read through this, then I promise things are going to get much more interesting from here on…**

 **Thanks for reading and I hope you enjoy this story as it progresses!**

 **Svinorita**


	2. Emotional Rollercoaster

Chapter 2.

Joy awoke to a rainy, gloomy Monday morning that didn't feel anything like summer. In fact the atmosphere seemed to reflect her current mood to a T as the formerly upbeat and positive Emotion rubbed her aching forehead and groaned miserably.

Joy's mind was so full of self-doubt and confusion that she had hardly slept at all last night, and needless to say she received quite a shock when she finally managed to drag herself out of bed and catch a glimpse of herself as she passed by the mirror situated on her dresser…

"Yikes! I look terrible!" She remarked dismally as she took in the sight of her swollen face and red, puffy eyes – the result of all that crying and worrying that she had endured yesterday.

Her normally bright and cheerful blue eyes were now bloodshot and watery, and as Joy reached up a hand tentatively to feel her pounding forehead, she noticed that her temperature was pretty high. She let out a deflated sigh and thought about what she should do.

 _I can't go out there and allow the others to see me like this…_ She thought to herself depressingly.

 _I look worse than that time when Riley was seven and she got stung by a bee as she was playing in our yard back in Minnesota!_

Joy winced and shuddered unpleasantly as she remembered how Riley had suffered a bad allergic reaction to the bee sting which had caused her face to swell up so badly that she could barely see for days because her eyes had been reduced to slits from all the puffiness!

Joy stood there staring at herself solemnly for several minutes as she raked her brain about what she should do about her swollen face. It's not so much that she felt ashamed that the other Emotions might laugh at her if they saw her in her current state. Under previous circumstances, Joy would probably have laughed at _herself_ if she woke up and saw her face looking like something out of a 1960s horror movie!

Now had this misfortune happened to _Disgust_ instead of herself, Joy thought sheepishly, that would have almost certainly been a completely different story! She knew how important beauty and image was to her green coworker, and Joy tried to picture Disgust waking up and finding herself in a similar predicament…

 _Poor Disgust would probably end up with a heart attack or something if her face looked half as bad as mine does right now!_

Joy shook her head amicably at the thought and returned her attention back to her current dilemma. No, it wasn't the thought of being ridiculed by her fellow Emotions that troubled Joy so much. It was a far bigger revelation that made her so hesitant about going down and joining the others in her duty…

 _How can I possibly expect to make Riley feel happy when I don't even feel happy and sure of myself anymore?_

Joy gave a tired sigh and proceeded to get dressed and brush her hair. As she put on her favorite lime-green dress, she thought about how this garment used to reflect her cheerful personality with its bright color and star-burst pattern. Now as she studied herself in the mirror wearing that dress with her puffy face and slouching posture, she felt a fresh wave of misery come over her. Instead of lifting her mood, the sight served as a painful reminder of everything she once stood for, (and how dire her current situation really was!)

 _You have to snap out of this Joy!_ She scolded herself silently as a new sense of determination formed in her mind.

 _Starting today, I am going to seek advice and support from the other Emotions so I can learn what's holding me back and overcome this pitfall_!

Joy stared critically at herself in the mirror and forced a smile as she vowed, "I am Joy and my duty is to be there for Riley! Without my help Riley can't feel happiness. I have to get better not only for myself, but for Riley too!"

 _First things first though…I need to find a remedy for my sore eyes and headache!_

Suddenly Joy felt her smile broaden as an idea sprang into her mind. She recalled how Fear once told her that he swore by the healing effects of herbal tea and honey…

Fear was pretty clever when it comes to finding natural remedies for a whole range of aches and discomfort. He was constantly trying to soothe his nerves and overcome other side-effects brought on by feeling scared and highly-strung all the time! Maybe he could help Joy deal with her nasty headache and swollen face?

"I think I could do with some Fear Therapy right now!" Joy told herself optimistically as she headed out her bedroom door and made her way to Fear's room.

XXX

Fear had just finished getting dressed and was putting on his bowtie when he heard soft knocking on his bedroom door.

"Come in…?" He said in a rather uncertain tone as he wondered who could be coming to visit him at this time in the morning. Usually the other Emotions didn't pay him very much attention under the best of circumstances, and _no one_ tended to visit him when he was in his room…

He stared curiously at the door as it slowly swung open and revealed Joy standing there looking nothing like her usual happy self. Fear stifled a gasp of shock as he took in her red, tired eyes and puffy face and he needed a moment to compose himself before he found the courage to speak to her.

"Uh…Joy?! Wha…what happened to you?" Fear asked anxiously as he took a hesitant step towards her.

Joy looked into his eyes miserably and walked stiffly up to him.

"Fear, I need to ask you something." She spoke in a gentle voice as he gulped nervously and nodded his head weakly.

"Su…sure Joy. Anything you need."

Joy gave him a reassuring smile and explained, "I haven't been feeling so great lately and I am going to need help from you and the other Emotions if I want to get better."

Fear looked at her with mounting concern and hesitantly placed a hand on her shoulder as he whispered, "Are you sick Joy? Tell me what's wrong…"

Joy felt her heart flutter with appreciation at his concern and said softly, "Well kind of. But this is not so much a physical sickness, rather it's more of an emotional problem."

She gave a sad smile and went on, "I have been doubting my abilities in regards to being Riley's Lead Emotion for a while now and I'm afraid that I have become depressed over time. As a result, I have chosen to distance myself from everyone because I didn't want you and the others worrying about me when you all need to be concentrating on helping Riley. She's more important than I am…"

She trailed off and looked at the floor miserably. There was a moment of awkward silence before she felt Fear's hand gently squeeze her shoulder and she forced herself to look up into his kind gray eyes as he gave her a small nod of encouragement.

Smiling back gratefully, Joy continued, "But I realize now that I can't get over this hurdle on my own. I need to speak to all of you so I can understand what's happening to me and hopefully then I can find my purpose again."

Fear was silent for a long time as he listened to Joy's plea for help. Oh boy! Joy was asking _him_ for help?! What could he possibly do to help when most of the time he couldn't even help himself?! He desperately wanted to say something to make her feel better, but he couldn't think of anything as he averted his gaze to the floor dejectedly.

Joy was normally such a strong and driven Emotion and it pained him to see her like this. She was the backbone and glue that held them all together and it's because of her positivity that Headquarters ran so smoothly. But now she admitted that something was terribly wrong and she was turning to _him_ for support?!

Fear felt his heart begin to race as a familiar sense of impending disaster came over him. She had reached out to him in her moment of greatest need and he couldn't just ignore her! He knew that if it were the other way around and _he_ was the one asking for help, Joy would try to do everything in her power to help him, (or any of the others for that matter!)

Taking a deep breath to calm his nerves, Fear looked up at her desperate face and put on a brave smile.

"I don't know what help I can be…but I'll try to do whatever I can Joy! I promise…"

Joy's face lit up with gratitude and she threw her arms warmly around his neck in a friendly embrace. This reaction caught Fear by surprise and his breath came out in a startled wheeze as his heart skipped a beat!

But after a moment, he returned the gesture and patted her gently on the back as she whispered, "Thank you Fear! I know I can count on you…"

Fear closed his eyes fondly and enjoyed the moment. It wasn't every day that he received a hug like this!

After a few seconds, Joy gently pulled away from him and in a quiet voice ventured, "There's one other thing you might be able to help me with Fear…"

Fear tilted his head questioningly to one side and inquired hesitantly, "Um…Okay Joy…anything you say…"

He gave her a sheepish smile as a surge of heat rushed to his face and he realized that he was blushing!

Joy let out a little light-hearted laugh as she pointed to her puffy face and joked, "I appear to have a more immediate problem at the moment. If I go out there looking like this, Disgust will have a meltdown! I remember you once told me that you know about some natural remedies to heal the body and soul."

She gave him a hopeful smile and asked, "Do you know something that might help ease a headache and sore eyes?"

Fear got a distant look in his eyes as he contemplated Joy's request and tapped his chin thoughtfully with his index finger. "Well whenever I get a headache or feel tense, I usually find that a cup of herbal tea with a teaspoon of honey helps…"

He looked at her studiously and offered, "There's also mint tea with lemon, but that's more for if you have an upset stomach…"

He nodded slowly and suggested, "I would try chamomile with honey. And if your eyes are sore, I would recommend putting slightly damp chamomile teabags or some sliced cucumber on your eyelids for a few minutes. Hopefully that will make you feel a little better…"

Joy nodded and gave him a grateful smile. "Great! I'll try it right away! Thanks Fear!"

Fear smiled fondly at her and as she turned to go, he put out his hand to catch her shoulder and offered timidly, "I can prepare it for if you like…"

Joy turned back to him and studied his face curiously. Fear felt like his heart did a somersault inside his chest and he quickly looked at the floor shyly as he blushed under her gaze.

In a tiny, insecure voice he insisted, "It's just that I was going to head down to the kitchen as well to make myself a cup of tea anyway…so if you want me to…I can make one for you as well…you know since I'll have the kettle on and all…"

He shuffled his feet nervously as Joy gave him a friendly pat on the forearm and said in a chirpy voice, "Thanks! That's so sweet of you Fear! I would appreciate that a lot!"

Then she turned and headed for the door but just as she was about to step out of the room, she paused and added over her shoulder, "I'll meet you in the kitchen then!"

Fear nodded and replied timidly, "Yes…see you shortly Joy!"

He waited until she left the room before going to his dresser and resuming the task of adjusting his bowtie. As he finished buttoning up the cuffs on his sleeves, Fear let out a huge sigh of contentment and stared dreamily into space as he thought about everything that had happened to him this morning.

A few minutes later he was ready to head down to the kitchen. And there was an unusually big smile on the purple Emotion's face as he stepped out of his room and closed the door behind him.

XXX

Meanwhile, Joy was walking into the kitchen to get those chamomile teabags to put onto her eyes like Fear had instructed her to do. As she entered the small room, she noticed Anger was sitting at the counter where the Emotions prepared their meals, reading his newspaper.

Despite not feeling anywhere near as cheerful and energetic as she normally would be, Joy was still friendly enough to offer her red colleague a polite greeting as she made her way to the cabinet where Fear kept his supply of teabags.

"Good morning Anger." Joy chimed in false cheerfulness.

Without looking up from his newspaper, Anger grumbled his own version of a greeting that sounded something like, "Grumorning…"

After a minute, the red Emotion glanced up from his paper to see why Joy was so uncharacteristically quiet and his eyes widened with surprise as he noticed her swollen face.

"Looks like you had a good night's rest!" Anger grunted sarcastically as Joy gave a resigned sigh and turned to face him.

"Did you repeatedly run headfirst into a wall all night or something?!"

Joy shot her grouchy coworker a wry look and responded with mock amusement, "I see you're back to your old snappy self, Anger."

Anger furrowed his brows as a frown of confusion appeared on his face and shot back indignantly, "What are you talking about? I'm always myself!"

Joy sighed tiredly and decided that now was a good a time as any to have her one-on-one talk with Anger about her predicament. She intended to seek advice from each of her fellow Emotions at some point, and although Anger was not exactly the most 'insightful' of Emotions, she still wanted to give him the benefit of the doubt and listen to his opinion on the subject. (After all, Joy believed that everyone deserves a fair go and the right to have their say on any issue.)

But it wasn't just her own problems that prompted Joy to address each of her coworkers in a private talk. Whether any of them realized it or not, Joy certainly noticed that all of the other Emotions have been having their own 'off' moments lately when presented with various scenarios in Riley's everyday life.

And there was one other thing that Joy needed to find out if her time as Riley's Lead Emotion was indeed nearing its end…which of the others should take her place and make the best leader if she could no longer keep her top position?

Joy could see only one way to test that theory…she had to put each one of the other Emotions in the position of Leader for a day and see how they handled the responsibility.

 _But that's something to think about for another day_ …Joy reassured herself soberly.

 _First I need to address the more immediate problem facing all of us, and since Anger is here now I guess I should confront him first…_

Taking a deep breath, Joy met Anger's steely gaze and offered earnestly, "Are you really sure Anger? Maybe you haven't noticed it as much as I have, but I think we've _all_ been acting a little strange lately and losing focus."

She gave him a sincere and slightly sad smile as she admitted, "For instance, I sometimes catch myself acting more like you or Sadness rather than myself."

Anger stared at her dumbly as he struggled to wrap his mind around what she was saying, and after a moment's reflection he narrowed his eyes critically and sniped, "Well if you're having an identity crisis that's your problem!"

He jabbed a finger roughly at his chest for emphasis and declared with confidence, "I am always acting like myself!"

Joy took a deep breath to calm her mounting frustration and reminded herself that she promised to give Anger the chance to have his say…

But still it took every ounce of her patience and self-control to keep herself from wanting to slap some sense into him!

 _Seriously why does Anger have to be so stubborn?! It feels like I'm talking to a brick wall sometimes!_

Suddenly, Joy registered some movement out of the corner of her eye, and she turned and saw Fear walking into the room to make his tea.

She felt a warm smile spread across her face at the sight of him and momentarily forgot about the irritation brought on by talking to Anger. Seeing him was like a welcome distraction and Joy felt grateful that he had shown up now.

Fear looked over at her and smiled back shyly as he hurried to the stove and began filling the kettle with water to boil for tea.

Anger shot the purple Emotion a withering glare and gave a low growl of irritation under his breath. But before he could say anything nasty, Joy interrupted his thoughts and brought his attention back to their conversation.

"Well I can assure you Anger that the other day you were definitely not acting like yourself! In fact you reacted just like _me_!"

Anger huffed indignantly and protested, "Huh! Your head must be scrambled or something Joy!"

He stood up and puffed out his chest defiantly. "I would never react like a girl!"

Over by the stove there was a loud clatter as Fear accidentally dropped the tin containing his teabags and Anger shot him a resentful look.

Fear's axon drooped submissively and he apologized timidly, "So…Sorry guys…"

Then he turned his attention to the spilled teabags and proceeded to pick them up hastily as Anger ground his teeth in annoyance.

Before the irate red Emotion could do anything to vent his irritation on his purple colleague, Joy intervened again by waving her hand frantically in front of Anger's face to draw his attention back to her.

With a final agitated grunt, Anger reluctantly returned his focus back to Joy and waited impatiently for her to continue speaking.

Joy raised an eyebrow challengingly at her red coworker and stated with firm persistence, "Okay Mr. Know-It-All…do you remember the other day in school when Riley was walking to class with her books and she got bumped by that rude boy who was texting on his phone and not looking where he was going? Remember how her books went flying everywhere when he knocked into her? What did that boy say to Riley…? Oh that's right!"

Joy put on her best complaining, pre-pubescent boy's voice as she imitated what that obnoxious brat said to Riley, "Hey watch where you're going! Are you blind or something?!"

They were interrupted by a shrill whistle as the kettle boiled on the stove. Both Joy and Anger turned to look at Fear, who mouthed the word "Sorry" and rushed to remove the wailing kettle from the stovetop.

The top of Anger's head began steaming even more than the kettle as he threatened to burst into flame at any moment from his pent up rage and it took _all_ of Joy's desperate persuading to get him to concentrate on her again.

"As I recall…" Joy prompted defiantly, "You were at the console when that incident took place Anger. And do you remember what Riley did in response to that kid's rudeness?"

Anger studied her face begrudgingly and declared matter-of-factly, "Sure! I probably made Riley go over to that punk and ram his phone where the sun doesn't shine! Then she must have smacked him on the head with every book as she went past him!"

A sly smirk appeared on Joy's face as she placed her hands on her hips and remonstrated, "Ah! But that's not what happened at all Anger! NO! Do you want me to tell you what Riley really did? Bear in mind that YOU were at the controls…"

Joy gave him an innocent shrug and recited calmly, "She said: Oh I'm so sorry! That was totally my fault! I should have been watching where I was going! No harm done!"

She finished and stared at Anger smugly as his eyes went wide with disbelief and his expression turned numb.

"WHAT?!" He exclaimed in indignation. "You must remember wrong! I would never allow something like that to slide when Riley was unfairly wronged!"

Joy gave a sad sigh and looked down in resignation as she confirmed, "But that _is_ what happened. See, that's my point! Sometimes any one of us can become caught off guard and we end up not acting like ourselves."

Anger shook his head stubbornly and insisted, "Well I still think you remember that day wrong…I know for a fact that I would NEVER react in that way! It just isn't me!"

Joy was about to protest when they were interrupted by another loud BANG as Fear accidentally dropped the still half-full kettle on the floor and boiling water went spraying everywhere. The purple Emotion let out a yelp of alarm and narrowly missed being scalded by the hot water as he jumped backwards nimbly and out of harm's way, an expression of shame and panic etched on his face.

There was a moment of tense silence as the three emotions stared at each other in shock.

Then before Joy could react, Anger let out a furious growl and his eyes flashed with hatred as he roared, **THAT DOES IT! I HAVE HAD IT WITH YOU BEANPOLE! CAN'T YOU SEE JOY AND I ARE TRYING TO HAVE A PRIVATE CONVERSATION HERE?!**

Then with surprising swiftness, Anger grabbed a large apple out of the fruit bowl that was standing on the counter and lobbed it as hard as he could straight at Fear's head.

The apple raced at Fear like a high-speed bullet and before he could act, it struck him full-force in the side of the head and sent him sprawling into the spilled water on the floor.

Joy's hands flew up to her mouth and her eyes widened in shock as Fear let out a piercing shriek of pain unlike any sound she had ever heard before.

The purple Emotion convulsed on the floor as he struggled to get out of the boiling water. In his panic, he scrambled frantically to his feet only to wind up slipping in his desperate attempt to get away and hitting his already sore head hard on the floor.

"Oh my goodness! Fear!" Joy started walking towards the wounded Emotion as he finally managed to climb to his feet, but she stopped in her tracks as soon as she saw the look in his eyes.

Fear looked like a wild animal that had been cornered as his eyes, which were filled with pain and terror darted from Anger to Joy and back again. He was trembling violently and Joy heard his shallow, raspy breath as he hyperventilated dangerously.

Then without warning, he shot out of the room as fast as a cheetah, leaving Joy staring at the mess all over the floor with a sinking feeling in her stomach. Even Anger was silent as he realized the true extent of what he'd done and the red Emotion too was staring at the puddle with remorse.

 _Uh oh…I've gone too far this time..._ Anger wondered to himself somberly.

Suddenly Joy whipped around to face Anger and before she could stop herself, she slapped him as hard as she could in the face.

"OW! WHAT WAS THAT FOR?!" The startled red Emotion protested as he rubbed the side of his face gingerly and gave Joy a stunned look. As soon as he'd said it, he knew it was a stupid question but he really wasn't expecting Joy of all Emotions to hit him like that!

Joy clenched her fists and growled in frustration as she addressed Anger, "You see?! That's what I've been trying to talk to you about! I acted just like YOU right now! Why did you do that to Fear?! I suppose you aren't going to go apologize to him are you?!"

Still rubbing his sore face sheepishly, Anger gave the yellow Emotion a perplexed look and retorted, "Why should I?! The Beanpole has no respect for other Emotions' privacy!"

Hatred flared up in Anger's eyes again as he remarked coldly, "You realize he overacted just then don't you?! He's not hurt as badly as you think! He's probably gone to sulk in his room because he wants you to feel sorry for him!"

Joy shook her head despairingly and exclaimed, "Seriously Anger? Are you that heartless?"

Without waiting for a response, Joy turned and headed out the room leaving Anger looking desolate and ashamed. But before exiting the room, Joy stopped abruptly and shot over her shoulder spitefully, "You know what you are? You are like one those awful, ugly monkeys with the red butt! What are they called again? Oh yes…a baboon! You are like a walking red baboon's butt!"

With that, Joy ran across the main room where Disgust and Sadness were busy working at the console and, ignoring the confused looks she received from the two Emotions as she hurried up the ramp, headed to Fear's room.

Once she reached his bedroom door, Joy pressed her ear against the cold metal of the door and heard faint sobbing coming from inside the room. She waited until her ragged breathing returned to normal before knocking gently and with deep concern lacing her voice, she pleaded, "Fear it's me, Joy! I just want to know if you're okay…please let me in!"

There was a few seconds of uncertain silence, before Joy made out the muffled sound of shuffling feet inside the room followed by Fear's shaky reply, "Please…leave me alone…I really need to be on my own now…"

Joy felt her heart sink with despair and gave a sad sigh. She knew deep down that Fear needed comforting right now and she desperately wanted to show him that she cared. He had shown such kindness and understanding towards her earlier when she'd approached him with her problems and it broke her heart seeing him so miserable like this!

 _I have to help him…I'm the only one who can right now!_ Joy told herself convincingly.

With renewed determination, she leaned against the door and urged in a soft reassuring voice, "I think you could really use a friend right now Fear…and I want to help you if you'll let me! Please can I come in?"

She waited hopefully and was met with hesitant silence again. Giving a defeated sigh, Joy turned and was just about to give up and leave when she heard a small, nervous reply from the other side of the door:

"Okay…come in…"

With a tiny smile of satisfaction, Joy slowly opened the door and stepped into Fear's room…

XXX

* * *

 **AUTHOR'S NOTE:**

 **I know this turned into quite a long chapter, but once I start writing about Fear I can't stop sometimes! I absolutely adore that skinny, purple bundle of nerves and he brings me endless inspiration at times!**

 **Originally this chapter was meant to focus mainly on Joy and Anger's conversation as she approaches him about her leadership problem, but I decided to bring the StarNerve romance into play a bit sooner than I intended to at first and I can promise that things are only heating up between Joy and Fear…expect A LOT more StarNerve action from here on out!**

 **Anyway, I hope you are all enjoying this crazy little drama/romance fic and I want to thank everyone who read and reviewed the first chapter** **Be sure to stick around to find out what happens next!**

 **Svinorita.**


	3. Shelter From The Pain

Chapter 3.

Joy's heart skipped a beat as she opened the door and stepped inside Fear's room. Although she had come to check whether he was okay following that awful incident with Anger in the kitchen, she couldn't help feeling slightly uneasy about facing the purple Emotion.

It's not that she was afraid of him exactly…Joy had always considered Fear to be such a timid and gentle soul. In fact she couldn't even picture him harming a fly, much less herself or any of the other Emotions…

 _Then why does Anger always choose to vent his frustration on Fear like that?_ Joy wondered gloomily as images from what happened in the kitchen a few minutes ago, ran through her mind in slow motion:

 _She saw Anger standing beside her, his red face twisted in an ugly scowl of hate as he lobbed that apple at Fear as hard as he could. She remembered the desperate look in Fear's eyes as he realized that he couldn't get out of the way in time and the awful moment the apple struck him in the head and sent him sprawling into the boiling water spilled on the floor. Then came the worst part of all…_

 _Joy recalled the primal shriek of agony as Fear fell to the floor and the boiling water may have scalded his skin. But most of all, it was the pleading look he had given her as he struggled to get up that haunted her the most…in that instant when they had locked gazes, Joy almost didn't recognize him. His usually kind and soulful gray eyes were filled with hurt…_

Even now as she recalled every awful detail of that incident, it was the look he had given her that disturbed her the most as she struggled to understand what it truly meant. It was as if he was reaching out to her for help, but she had been so paralyzed with shock, that all she could do was stare at him with an expression of empathy.

With a stab of guilt, Joy remembered how Fear had promised to help her overcome her personal battle with her insecurities this morning, now that it was becoming increasingly clear to her that her role as leader might be coming to an end. And now when he had turned to her for help in his greatest time of need she was too stunned to do anything!

Joy gave a despondent sigh as her eyes finally located Fear in the dim light of the room. He was sitting on the edge of his bed at the far end of the room, shaking violently as he cradled his head in his hands. He refused to look up at her as Joy slowly made her way over to him, and as she got closer, she could hear the sound of muffled sniffling as he covered his face with his hands and sobbed quietly.

"Oh Fear…" Joy uttered softly as she placed a comforting hand on his trembling shoulder.

Fear flinched instinctively and shied away from her touch, which made Joy feel even guiltier as she remembered how he was scalded by the boiling water all over his body, and consequently her touch must have caused him great pain.

She chided herself mentally for being so careless, and looking down at the floor in shame, whispered, "I'm so sorry Fear! I didn't mean to hurt you!"

Fear gave a shuddering sob and without taking his hands away from his face, he nodded his forgiveness.

Joy's breath caught in her throat and she felt as though her heart was breaking all over again as she studied him with teary eyes. It never ceased to amaze her how forgiving and gentle Fear really was…even now after she had accidentally hurt him, he had acknowledged her apology without hesitation!

She realized that deep down Fear felt so lonely and rejected, that he was willing to accept any shred of kindness that was offered to him. This thought got her thinking once again about that desperate look he had given her in the kitchen, and for the first time, she realized that maybe there was a deeper message behind his pleading eyes than just an obvious cry for help…

 _Oh poor Fear!_ Joy thought to herself as everything slowly came together in her mind.

 _All this time you've been feeling so alone and unwanted, that all you really want is a friend and someone to show you some kindness…_

This revelation made Joy even more determined to help support her purple coworker in his time of need, and she decided then and there that from now on she would do everything in her power to be there for him!

With a friendly smile on her face, Joy sat down beside him and urged quietly, "Are you okay Fear?"

Fear gave a half-hearted snort and still covering his face with his hands, he stuttered, "Well as you can see…I'm not exactly jumping from joy…"

Suddenly he went rigid as he realized his unintended pun, and parting his fingers slightly so he could see her, Fear corrected apologetically, "I'm so sorry Joy! I didn't mean it that way…!"

He gave a deflated sigh and murmured, "It's just an expression I've heard people say…"

Joy let out a small chuckle and waved her hand dismissively. "Hey don't worry about it! No offense taken! I've heard that expression too!"

Fear remained silent as he listened to her reassuring banter without registering a hint of humor.

Instantly Joy's smile melted and was replaced with a look of concern as she gently took hold of Fear's hands and tried to part them from his face so she could inspect his wounds.

"There, there Fear…let me take a look." She whispered in her most soothing voice as he reluctantly allowed her to pry his hands away from his face.

Joy winced as she saw that big, red sore mark on the side of Fear's head where the apple had struck him. The purple Emotion averted his eyes to the floor in shame as she carefully inspected the injury and did a quick check of the rest of his head, before gently looking over his arms and hands for signs of burns.

His sweater was still a bit damp but the water had long since cooled and there didn't appear to be any major burns anywhere on his body, although he was still somewhat tender to any form of contact as he flinched rather harshly when Joy placed her hand on his soaked sweater and rubbed a spot on his back experimentally.

Joy looked at him with a mixture of relief and pity as she announced softly, "The good thing is that you don't appear to have any burns from falling in the hot water. Your skin is still a bit sensitive to the touch but I don't think that should last for too long…

Fear nodded quietly as he listened to her diagnosis and Joy thought she saw his mouth twitch ever so slightly as a tiny hint of a smile ( from relief or appreciation? She couldn't quite tell) almost appeared on his face.

Joy nodded in encouragement before turning her attention back to the red welt on the side of his head. "You have quite a nasty bruise on your head, but that should heal in time."

"Thanks Joy…" Fear muttered in a flat tone as he continued staring forlornly at the floor.

Joy stared intently at the wound on Fear's head for a moment and then before she knew what came over her, she felt compelled to kiss that spot…

And that's exactly what she did!

Leaning forward like the gentlest of breezes, she kissed the sore spot softly. This act of kindness resulted in Fear giving a high-pitched shriek of surprise followed by him jumping off the bed as though she had jabbed him with a hot branding iron!

The lithe purple Emotion landed on his feet with as much agility as a cat, and stared at Joy with eyes that were wide with panic.

"Wha…what…was that?!" He stammered as Joy cupped her hand over her mouth in surprise.

She stared back apologetically at her anxious friend. "Oh I'm sorry Fear! I really didn't mean to startle you!"

"That's just something I remember seeing Jill do to Riley when she has an injury…she would always say _let me kiss it better for you."_ She explained reassuringly.

"Oh…right…right…" Fear mumbled sheepishly as he sat back down next to Joy and fiddled with his hands uncomfortably.

The two Emotions sat in awkward silence for the next few minutes, neither not quite sure what to say to the other. Finally Joy drew a deep breath and turning to her purple colleague, she offered him a friendly smile.

"Hey, remember that tea you were going to make for us this morning?"

Fear cringed as the unpleasant memory came back to him, but he didn't want to appear as an even bigger fool to Joy than he already felt on the inside. So not trusting himself to speak, he bit his tongue and nodded solemnly whilst still avoiding eye-contact with her.

Joy gave him her most reassuring smile and gently placed her hand on top of his. "If you'd like, I can go down and make some for us now?"

"It probably won't be anywhere near as good as when you make it…" She commented with a shrug.

"But I will try to do my best! You just sit tight and I'll be back in a few minutes!" With that, Joy got up and started to head for the door before Fear could protest, a hint of her former cheerfulness evident in her lively step.

Just as she was about to exit the room, she paused and looked back to her purple companion with a devilish grin on her face.

"Oh and I really hope that obnoxious little red fireball has removed himself from the kitchen by now…"

Fear stared in quiet contemplation at the door long after Joy had left to make them tea. His mind was reeling with so many confusing thoughts, that he felt truly overwhelmed. He tried to make sense of everything that had happened to him since this morning.

If Fear could sum up the way he was feeling in one word, it would be utter desperation. This morning began for him on such a positive note, and then everything suddenly turned so bad that it was almost as if his heart was broken in two!

It's not that he wasn't used to Anger's aggression and snide remarks by now…and even that blow to the head by the apple didn't hurt so much _physically_.

But rather it was the humiliation of the whole episode and the fact that it happened in front of _Joy_ , the one Emotion he felt that he had forged a strong bond with lately... That made Fear feel completely worthless! It was almost as if he was not worth even a single act of her kindness!

Deep down he felt so ashamed, that he wanted to be left alone – yet at the same time he yearned for some attention and comfort. And it seemed to him like Joy was a natural source of love and compassion…

Fear sighed deeply and just then, he heard the sound of Joy's tiny footsteps approaching, followed by her cheerful call, "One tea extraordinaire coming up!"

The yellow Emotion stepped into the room with a tray and two cups of tea.

"Oh Fear, I'm only joking! I know this tea is not as good as yours…you have years of experience and this is just my first attempt!"

She walked over to the bed and offered the tray to Fear, who smiled timidly at her as he took a cup. Joy smiled back encouragingly, then put the tray on the bedside dresser and took the other cup as she rejoined him once again.

"Thanks Joy." Fear whispered appreciatively as he took a small sip of his tea. His eyes widened in surprise and he gave her an impressed nod.

"Wow Joy! Believe me when I say that this is the best tea I've tasted in a long time!"

Joy let out a little laugh of delight and felt her cheeks blush as she looked to the floor coyly. "Well I tried to make it from my heart…I'm glad you like it!"

Fear took another sip of tea and felt his body relax slightly as some of the pent up anxiety was lifted like a curtain off his shoulders. He closed his eyes and gave a contented sigh.

Joy watched him in silence for a while as she drank her tea. Suddenly a nice idea came to her mind as she thought of a way to help ease her friend's discomfort…

Placing her tea cup on the floor, Joy looked at Fear with kindness in her eyes and offered softly, "Poor Fear…you look so tense! Let me give you a shoulder massage to make you feel better!"

Fear swallowed nervously at her request and for a moment he felt as though his heart stopped from shock!

"Wha…are you sure…" he stammered uncertainly.

Joy smiled sweetly and nodded. "Of course! I think you'll feel better for it afterwards! You just keep on drinking your tea and relax while I take care of you!"

Before he could protest, Joy stood up and placed her warm hands on the purple Emotion's scrawny shoulders. Then she started massaging slowly and gently and Fear felt as if he would melt under her soothing touch!

Lately whenever he was around Joy, he felt so safe and reassured…

She was like a shelter from all the pain in his life!

A serene smile spread across his lips as Fear closed his eyes and allowed all the tension he felt inside dissipate like a mist as Joy continued massaging away at his shoulders and upper back.

As she worked, Joy remembered another famous expression she'd heard people use a lot:

 _I can smell your Fear…_

And since this was as close to Fear as she'd ever managed to get, she decided to find out exactly what people meant by that saying…

Slowly, so as not to startle the purple Emotion, Joy leaned forward as she continued rubbing his shoulders and took a deep sniff at the back of Fear's neck, right under his axon.

She's not really sure what she was expecting him to smell like, but the instant she inhaled his scent, it felt as though something sweet and invigorating went straight through her!

If someone were to ask her to describe _'the smell of Fear'_ in one word, Joy realized she would have found it virtually impossible! As it turned out, Fear doesn't smell like any single thing, but rather more like a combination of sweet natural aromas…

 _He smells kind of like a forest after the rain, when the water mixes with that earthy scent…with a hint of honey?_ Joy mused to herself reflectively.

"Oh wow!" she breathed in wonder. Instantly she felt Fear tense up under her fingers.

"What is it? Is something wrong?" he asked in a small panicky voice.

Joy shook her head to clear the fog from her brain and gave her concerned coworker a reassuring squeeze on the shoulder.

"No, nothing's wrong Fear…just try and relax okay?" She whispered calmly.

A nervous moan escaped from Fear's throat but as soon as Joy resumed massaging, he found himself under the spell of her soothing touch once again.

The instant she felt him relax again, Joy went in for another sniff but this time as she leaned in close to his face and inhaled deeply, her nose came into contact with some of the fine purple fuzz that covered Fear's head and she ended up sneezing loudly!

"Joy!" Fear cried out in alarm as he turned to face her, his eyes wide with panic.

"Are you okay? I hope you're not allergic to me!"

Joy rubbed her nose with the back of her hand. As she looked up and met Fear's worried gaze, she couldn't help uttering a chuckle as she took in the mortified expression on his face.

"No of course not silly!" she reassured in a light-hearted manner.

"My nose just came too close to your fuzzy-wuzzy head, that's all!"

Fear gave a deep sigh of relief and relaxed visibly as Joy laughed off the little misunderstanding.

Suddenly her eyes became glossy with longing as she pleaded, "Can I touch it? Please?"

Fear was slightly taken aback by this odd request, but after seeing the longing in her eyes he didn't have the heart to tell her no.

"Okay…I guess so…" He replied with a shrug.

A huge smile appeared on Joy's lips as she gently caressed the fuzzy purple complexion of his face.

"Oh it's sooo soft!" she exclaimed happily.

"Yeah well…I never really paid much attention to it." Fear answered casually.

Joy stroked the side of his head fondly and suddenly her eyes grew wide with excitement. "Hey you know what? Is it okay if I call you Fuzz? I mean only if I have your permission of course! You are so soft and fuzzy…and I think it sounds cute!"

She saw the look of trepidation on his face as he glanced down at the floor uncomfortably.

Thinking fast she reassured, "Don't worry! This will be just between us! I promise the others won't find out!"

Fear was silent for a moment as he mulled over her request. Finally he looked up at her shyly and nodded his consent.

"I suppose that's much nicer than just about anything else I've been called before…"

He kneaded his hands nervously and with his voice shaking from grief, he confessed quietly, "Personally, I really don't like it when Anger calls me _Beanpole._ "

The purple Emotion threw up his arms in exasperation and declared, "I know that I'm skinny and gangly and tall…but _Beanpole_ reminds me of a stick that's used to hold up a bean plant! And I don't even like beans!"

Joy listened to his admission in quiet sympathy as he shook his head with distaste. "I never eat beans! _Anger_ is the one who's always stuffing his face with chili con carne and tacos! And yet he calls _me_ Beanpole!"

"Well Anger is the type of Emotion that doesn't think much before opening his mouth and insulting others…" Joy agreed resolutely.

Fear sighed miserably and mumbled under his breath, "Many times he calls me _Monkey_ too…"

Joy's face lit up as she remembered her parting comment to Anger in the kitchen just before she ran off after Fear.

Placing her hand on her purple coworker's knee, she announced proudly, "Funny you should mention that my friend! Because I'm not sure exactly what came over me this morning, but right after Anger threw that apple at you, I ended up giving him a taste of his own medicine!"

Joy narrowed her eyes slyly and leaned towards Fear, cupping her hand over his ear as she whispered, "In a way I called him _Monkey_ too! Except I went one better and said that he was a _Walking Red Baboon's Butt!"_

Fear nearly fell over backwards at this statement. _Joy_ said that to Anger?! _Joy?!_ Sweet, cheerful, friendly Joy?!

Fear shook his head in disbelief and stared at the yellow Emotion with admiration. Despite the obvious shock of this unexpected announcement, he couldn't deny feeling a warm glow spread through his chest at the thought that she had stood up to Anger like that for _him_.

 _She was defending me…_

Fear chuckled and looked into her eyes with adoration. "Wow Joy…this really makes my day! I never expected you could be so _fearless…"_

The purple Emotion pulled a sour face as he realized his choice of wording and quickly corrected himself sheepishly. "I mean brave! Yes you were really brave to say that!"

He was just beginning to feel like he had found a true friend in Joy and in that sense, he didn't really want her to be _fearless…_

 _Everyone deserves to have a little fear in their lives…fear can be a good thing right?!_

Joy smiled and patted her purple colleague on the shoulder lightly as she replied, "Oh that's really sweet of you Fear! But I can't help feeling a little guilty that I may have been too hard on Anger…it's just that I don't know what came over me!"

She shrugged innocently and sighed with regret. "I can't really explain why I acted like that…but I have to make sure it doesn't happen again!"

"It's just not _me_!" Joy shuddered uncomfortably.

She glanced up at Fear and nearly gasped when she saw the blank look in his eyes, as though he were lost in his own little world.

"Fear? Fuzz!" Joy called urgently as she snapped her fingers in front of her dazed friend's face several times. "Come back to me Fear!"

Fear registered the movement out of the corner of his eye, and blinking to clear the dreamy fog from his mind, he gazed serenely into Joy's dazzling blue eyes.

A fond smile appeared on his lips as he took her hands in his and in a completely smitten voice, he said, "Do you know what you remind me of Joy? You are like the brightest, happiest twinkling star in the sky…do you mind if I call you _Twink_?"

Joy stared back at him in silent contemplation as her brain processed his words. Then slowly a warm smile spread across her face and with a reassuring nod, she replied, "Fuzz and Twink…why not? I think it sounds sweet!"

Suddenly her whole face lit up with excitement. "Hey maybe I should go get my accordion…"

But almost as soon as she'd said it, Joy realized that wouldn't be such a great idea. Fear had been through so much this morning that he wouldn't be in the mood for celebrating anything. What he really needed was some time to rest and recover from his ordeal!

As if to prove her point, Fear looked down at the floor dejectedly, his axon drooping from exhaustion and a slight trembling began shaking his frail frame.

Joy chided herself for being so careless and with a look of empathy in her eyes she offered softly, "On second thoughts maybe not. Let's just finish our tea and then you should get some rest…your poor head is probably still a bit sore."

Fear shot her a grateful look and allowed her to put her arm around his neck comfortingly as he leaned his tired head onto her shoulder.

Just as the two Emotions were enjoying their little bonding moment, they were interrupted by a knock at the door and Fear nearly leaped out of his skin in fright!

They looked at each other in surprise then simultaneously stared at the door as they recognized the soft, melancholic voice of Sadness on the other side.

"Can I come in?"

* * *

 **AUTHOR'S NOTE:**

 **Finally we get to see some StarNerve :)**

 **Actually this chapter was surprisingly difficult to write, something I never thought would happen as a serious Fear-fanatic…usually when it comes to writing about our nervous little purple friend, I end up with the opposite dilemma…I can go on and on and I often find it hard to stop! But for some reason, I found it really difficult to get a start going in this chapter and it was really driving me nuts because I couldn't understand why I was so stumped!**

 **Anyway I did manage to overcome my mini-mind block in the end and as soon as we come to the actual interactions between Joy and Fear, everything seemed to flow more smoothly again…speaking of those moments with Joy and Fear, did anyone else notice just how "fuzzy" Fear really is? Look at any close-up picture of Fear from the movie, and you can see that he appears to be covered in a bubbly/fuzzy texture (sort of like Joy, but even more defined!) It was in relation to this purple "fuzzy" covering I was referring to in that part of the story (in case any of you were a little confused after reading that part!)**

 **To all the readers who have been enjoying this story so far – I hope that I was able to put together a decent chapter in the end and that you weren't disappointed with the way things panned out with the final result :)**

 **I would like to send out a special thank you to the following people for leaving your wonderful reviews so far:**

 **Orangebird124**

 **HollyAnne1084**

 **Tripledent**

 **CNBW**

 **WriterofBliss**

 **I really appreciate all your awesome feedback and I hope you all stick around to see what happens next :)**

 **Now I should point out that although this story still has many chapters to go, I am also writing 3 others at the same time and to make things easier, I will try to finish 2 of those stories before I continue with this one...**

 **Since Halloween is coming up in a few weeks' time, I have decided to concentrate on writing a Halloween request I have received so that it will be ready before October 31** **st** **! In addition to this, I would also like to finish my oldest story "Secrets of an Emotional Mind" as it only has a few chapters left before completion.**

 **Then I promise to return to this story as well as the TearBrick "Midnight Blues" and pick up where I left off in both cases!**

 **Thanks once again to everyone for reading and I hope to see you all soon :)**

 **Svinorita**


	4. Never Alone

**Chapter 4 – Never Alone.**

Sadness gave a gasp of surprise as she slowly opened the door and walked into Fear's room. She wasn't expecting the sight that greeted her upon entry!

There was Joy sitting next to Fear on his bed, her arm wrapped protectively around his skinny shoulders as he rested his head against her chest!

"Oh…! Am I interrupting anything…?" Sadness asked as she took in the surprising scene with wide eyes.

Fear sat bolt upright and grunted sheepishly, his face burning from embarrassment. Beside him, Joy shifted her startled gaze to the blue Emotion standing by the door.

"Eh…ah…not at all Sadness!" She stammered hastily, a nervous smile appearing on her face as she tried to explain the situation.

"Are you sure?" Sadness prompted with a raised eyebrow. "I can come back later if you want…"

Joy chuckled nervously in response and rubbed the back of her neck uncomfortably.

"Oh no! No! You can stay! I was just…ah…checking on Fear because he was so upset after what happened in the kitchen this morning…so I made him some tea and talked to him for a while and…and I guess he's okay now…!" She fumbled desperately.

Joy looked over at the purple Emotion and placed a hand on his knee. "Aren't you Fuzz…I mean Fear!?" She quickly corrected.

Fear gave an exaggerated laugh and wrung his hands together fitfully as he stuttered in response, "Oh yes! Ha…ha…I'm much better now Twink…ah…Joy! Thank you for the tea!"

Sadness watched the scene with a growing sense of unease. She couldn't help getting the impression that she was intruding on something, and both Joy and Fear were trying to convey very politely that they didn't appreciate her being here right now!

The blue Emotion cast her eyes to the floor miserably and gave a deflated sigh. "That's okay…I'll leave and come back later…"

Joy got up abruptly and ran over to her blue colleague as she turned and prepared to exit the room.

"Wait! Sadness! Please stay!" Joy called out as she caught Sadness by the shoulder and steered her back into the room. Sadness tensed up slightly as the yellow Emotion squeezed her shoulder firmly. She shot a confused glance at her friend and reluctantly allowed Joy to lead her back inside the room.

"It's okay Sadness, really!" Joy said reassuringly as she sat down beside Fear once again. Her hand was still resting on Sadness' shoulder as the blue Emotion stood in front of her two co-workers, but thankfully her grip relaxed a little as she offered her blue friend a sweet smile.

"I actually wanted to talk to you about something…" Joy spoke softly, her blue eyes searching Sadness' imploringly.

"Since you're here now, I guess this is a good a time as any to have our conversation." She suggested with a shrug.

"Ah…okay…" Sadness replied hesitantly. She glanced over at Fear, who was fidgeting with his hands nervously and sucking on his bottom lip as he continued staring at the floor.

It was plainly obvious that her presence was making the purple Emotion uncomfortable, but he was too polite by nature to protest. Instead he tried to appear as inconspicuous as possible while Joy did her best to convince her to stay with them.

Sadness averted her eyes from Fear bashfully and admitted, "The reason I came here was because I wanted to make sure Fear was alright too…"

She took a deep breath and informed them, "A few minutes after he ran out of the kitchen, Anger emerged full of rage. His head was exploding like a volcano and he didn't want to talk to either me or Disgust about what happened."

Sadness gave a despondent sigh. "Then Disgust went into the kitchen to investigate and she said that it looked like the Third World War had broken out in there!"

She looked into Joy's eyes questioningly and ventured, "What happened in there Joy? We heard so much banging, slapping and swearing while you and Fear were in there with Anger…"

Joy frowned as she remembered the unpleasant incident from this morning. Her caring blue eyes took on a harsh look as she remarked hotly, "Oh that...well long story cut short, Anger was being an absolute donkey's behind and I _may_ have overacted a little myself…"

She shook her head and a compassionate smile returned to her face as she explained gently, "The only real victim in this whole mess was Fear."

She looked over at the frail Emotion and rubbed his back reassuringly, her face full of admiration as she confessed, "That's why I decided to check on him. He was so upset and I wanted to make him feel better."

Fear glanced into her eyes shyly, his heartbeat racing with longing. He smiled weakly at her before quickly averting his gaze again.

Joy smiled back fondly and turned her attention back to Sadness.

"Don't worry…I promise I _will_ patch things up with Anger once he's calmed down and in a listening mood." She vowed, her blue eyes filled with sincerity. (Although Sadness was pretty sure she detected a trace of bitterness in Joy's chirpy voice…?)

The blue Emotion shrugged dismissively. "Okay then."

"Are you sure you're okay Fear?" Sadness asked in a small voice.

Fear nodded and replied with a nervous smile, "Yes Sadness! I'm good now. Actually I'm better than good!"

He glanced admirably at Joy and uttered dreamily, "Joy really lifted my mood."

Joy returned his smile happily. Her voice was full of gratitude as she replied, "That's great to hear! In that case, we'll let you rest now Fear…you've earned it after all you've been through this morning!"

Joy got up and took Sadness by the hand. Then the two of them headed for the door, Joy adding over her shoulder, "Sadness and I need to have a little talk now…"

Fear stared at Joy's departing back as though in a trance, a dreamy expression on his face. "Don't worry your pretty head Joy…I've got this all under control!" He whispered.

Joy and Sadness walked out of the room, closing the door behind them quietly. Once in the hall, Joy released Sadness' hand and followed behind sedately as the blue Emotion walked on ahead of her.

Joy purposefully allowed her smaller companion to take the lead…

She didn't want her little blue friend to see the huge smile of fondness on her face as Fear's comment replayed in her mind!

XXX

As the two Emotions neared the ramp leading to the main room, Joy suddenly stopped in her tracks. Her abrupt halt surprised Sadness, who turned around and looked at her friend worriedly.

"Joy? What's wrong?" She asked with mounting concern.

Joy stared back at her blue co-worker with wide eyes. "I just forgot something in Fear's room…"

Without waiting for a reply, the yellow Emotion turned on her heel and headed back the way they'd come.

"You go on down and join the others Sadness. I'll be right back!" She called over her shoulder, leaving her blue companion staring at her with a confused expression.

As soon as she was out of Sadness' line of sight, Joy started running back to Fear's room, her heart pounding with excitement.

XXX

Fear was just about to lie down and try to get some sleep when he was startled by his door being flung open abruptly. The resulting BANG as it bounced against the wall made him sit bolt-upright in bed, an involuntary shriek of fright escaping his throat as he stared at the figure in the doorway with wide-eyes.

It took a few seconds for his panicked brain to recognize who the intruder was. But the instant she bounded into his room there was no mistaking her cheerful presence and graceful movement…

"Joy?!" he gasped breathlessly, his heart beginning to beat faster from the unexpected thrill of seeing her return so soon.

Joy didn't know what overcame her. She skipped over to Fear's bed and took hold of his fuzzy head in her hands before planting a huge kiss right on his lips!

She pulled away slowly and stared into his startled gray eyes with her gentle blue ones. Running a hand fondly over the downy purple fuzz of his face, she whispered softly, "Rest now my sweet Fuzz! I will come back later…we wouldn't want the others to suspect there's anything going on between us!"

Fear just sat there like a statue. His cheeks turned crimson red as his mind struggled to process what had just happened to him!

The poor guy looked like he was about to have a heart attack or pass out! It didn't help that he was holding his breath from the moment Joy had kissed him! It was as if he had forgotten how to breathe and Joy actually had to remind him to take a breath!

Fear gasped as he gulped desperately for air, his chest heaving as his lungs struggled to get enough oxygen.

"Dokey-Okey…" he wheezed giddily.

Joy burst out with laughter and threw her arms around his neck affectionately. "Don't you mean "Okey-dokey" silly? Ah that's okay! I know what you're trying to say and you're welcome!"

Giggling with delight, Joy turned and skipped happily out of the room, leaving a very dreamy-eyed Fear in her wake.

XXX

Back in the main room, Joy found Sadness standing next to Disgust at the console. Already the elation she felt when she was around Fear began to dissipate. With a deflated sigh, she walked over to the other two girls.

Upon her arrival, Disgust frowned crossly, her emerald-green eyes flashing with irritation as she sniped, "Well it's so nice of you to finally show up Joy! What the heck is going on around here?! Why am I still stuck here all by myself while the rest of you are all off enjoying yourselves?!"

She turned up her nose with distaste. "I want some down time for myself too! Didn't I make it quite clear that I want to do my nails today and restock my makeup kit?"

"Not now Disgust." Joy responded without looking at her green colleague. "I really need to talk to Sadness first...I promise you can have some time off tomorrow!"

Without waiting for Disgust's petulant reply, Joy took Sadness by the hand and led her towards the Recall Tube. She didn't know where they were going yet, but she felt like she needed to get out of Headquarters for a while.

Besides, some fresh air might do her a world of good!

XXX

About fifteen minutes later, Joy and Sadness were wandering aimlessly through the maze-like warren of Long Term Memory. Since Joy had no clear destination in mind when she dragged Sadness outside to have their private talk, (not to mention the fact that her blue companion appeared to be as disinterested in her surroundings as ever) she decided that the endless labyrinth that formed Long Term Memory would make as ideal a setting as any.

Besides the monotony of this place with its never-ending shelves of memory orbs, many of the once colorful memories faded and turning gray after years of neglect, seemed to reflect Joy's current state of mind to the last depressing detail.

After a while, Sadness glanced up at her yellow co-worker. In a perpetually tired-sounding voice she asked, "So…what did you want to talk about Joy? Is there anything wrong?"

Joy stopped and gave her blue companion a half-hearted laugh. "I wouldn't say _wrong_ exactly…"

She looked into Sadness' weary blue eyes and sighed gloomily. "It's just that sometimes I feel like I'm losing touch with my responsibilities a little. As Riley is becoming older and life throws new challenges her way, I'm becoming increasingly overwhelmed!"

Joy looked away from her friend's face, her voice beginning to quiver as she fought back tears. "I just want to keep her carefree and happy as long as possible…but sometimes I'm not sure that I can keep up with the changes in her life! I'm failing her Sadness! I'm not able to do my job as her Lead Emotion anymore…!"

Joy dropped down to her knees and buried her face in her hands, heart-wrenching sobs wracking her body as she allowed her misery to flow forth freely.

Sadness watched her friend with sympathy, tears forming in her own eyes as she stepped forward and started rubbing Joy's back reassuringly.

"I think that things would be better for Riley if you or one of the other Emotions take over as Leader…" Joy wept, her voice sounding muffled through her hands.

"Why Joy?" Sadness asked as she gently pried the yellow Emotion's hands away from her face and proceeded to wipe the tears from her eyes. "You are doing great as Leader! You're always finding ways to cheer Riley up. Even when it looks impossible to the rest of us…"

Sadness offered her a weak smile and added, "You help balance out all the negative influences the rest of us inadvertently cause throughout Riley's day-to-day life!"

Joy sniffled and took a deep, shuddering breath. She picked up Sadness' tiny hand and squeezed it gratefully. "That's really sweet of you Sadness…but I still feel like I'm letting Riley down!"

She looked away guiltily and admitted, "You see when Riley was younger, I truly believed that she would remain happy forever. How could I have been so naïve! I see now that it's just not possible!"

The yellow Emotion sighed despondently. "Maybe I've been too cynical and feeling sorry for myself lately? I just don't know! I'm not sure about anything anymore…"

"That's not true at all Joy!" Sadness insisted, looking at her friend with pleading eyes. "Don't you remember how you convinced me that Riley needed me that time I tried to run away? Back then I truly believed that she would have been better off without me because I was always screwing everything up for her and everyone else!"

Sadness grabbed Joy by the shoulders with trembling fingers, her voice rising in desperation. "You made me realize that I was wrong to think like that Joy! Riley needs all of us to be there for her!"

She looked down and whispered timidly, "I'm just telling you what you already know in your heart! That's why out of all of us, you are the best Leader!"

"If anything, I am the one who is overwhelmed! Anger is always overacting whereas Disgust is fickle…but you Joy, you are the one who always sees the best in each of us and you help bring these qualities to light!" Sadness proclaimed adamantly.

Suddenly the blue Emotion looked down at her feet guiltily. "Oh wait! We forgot about Fear…"

She thought hard for a moment as she struggled to find the right words to describe Fear's shortcomings. Finally she shrugged meekly and offered, "I guess Fear is paranoid and tends to overthink everything…"

Joy got a dreamy look in her eye at the mention of Fear. "Yeah…but he's so important! He's the one who keeps Riley safe every day."

"Oh?" Sadness gave her yellow companion a sideways glance.

Joy looked into Sadness concerned blue eyes and gave her a relieved smile. "You know what Sadness? You really made me feel a lot better! I feel like you helped open my eyes to the bigger picture!"

The yellow Emotion got to her feet with a grunt, a determined glint in her eye as she decided, "Now I need to catch up with Anger and Disgust and get their views on this situation…in fact I think I'll do it right now!"

Sadness grabbed her by the arm, stopping her. "No Joy! Leave it for another day! Right now you should really go and get some rest. I'll go relieve Disgust at the console and as for Anger…well he's probably still blowing off some steam from this morning." She cautioned.

Joy sighed in defeat and nodded her agreement. She couldn't argue with the logic in Sadness' observation!

Reaching down, she wrapped the little blue Emotion in a friendly hug. "Thanks for taking the time to listen to me Sadness. I really appreciate your help and understanding!"

Sadness returned her friend's warm embrace and whispered tiredly, "Anytime Joy. You should really head back now because I feel a sadness spiral coming on and unless you want to drag me back to Headquarters, you'd best be on your way!"

Joy chuckled nervously and released her from her embrace. "Okey-dokey! Point taken! See you around Sadness!"

With that, Joy turned and sprinted back towards the Recall Tube before Sadness could collapse into a heap on the ground and offer her a leg to tow her around by…

XXX

Once she returned to Headquarters, Joy took Sadness' advice and made straight for her room. She could no longer ignore the fact that she was exhausted and sleep seemed like the best course of action for her right now.

As Joy pushed open her bedroom door and stepped into the brightly colored room, she discovered a wonderful surprise waiting for her!

There on her bedside dresser, was a beautiful red rose in a gorgeous vase along with a steaming mug of hot chocolate!

And that wasn't all either…

On the floor beside her bed, all prepped and ready for use, was her relaxing little foot spa, the water set at just the perfect temperature for her tired feet!

As Joy took in the scene with wonder, her eyes settled on a tiny piece of paper neatly folded and placed on her pillow. Her heart began fluttering from excitement as she walked over to her bed in a dreamy daze. Already there was little doubt in her mind about which Emotion had left these beautiful gifts for her…

Joy took the note with trembling fingers. She fumbled with the piece of paper and almost dropped it as she recognized the neat handwriting instantly. Taking a deep breath, she finally managed to open the note and started reading it aloud:

" _To the Princess of my heart,_

 _I cannot begin to explain the wonders you made me feel with your kindness! You helped restore my self-worth and maybe just for a moment, you made me feel as strong as Hercules!_

 _Love Fuzz"_

Joy gave a squeal of delight as she finished reading and pressed the note to her heart fondly. She leaned over her dresser and sniffed the rose before taking a deep sip of the delicious hot chocolate.

For a moment, she forgot all about her troubles and danced around the room like her usual cheerful self, losing herself in this wonderful new sensation settling over her heart like a warm blanket as she thought about him…

After a few minutes of dancing and laughing out of sheer bliss, Joy settled down on the edge of her bed and plunged her feet into the soothing water of her foot spa with a contented "Ahhhh…!"

She closed her eyes and allowed the warm water to take away the soreness in her feet, her whole body relaxing. The depressing thoughts that had dominated her mind earlier, were now replaced with happy ones as she dreamed about how she would repay her purple friend for his kindness…

"I love you Fear…" she whispered to herself, a huge smile lighting up her face so that it glowed with radiance just like in happier times.

* * *

 **AUTHOR'S NOTE:**

 **Hey there dear readers! I hope you're all enjoying this StarNerve/Drama story so far! I would like to thank everyone who has read and reviewed up till now for all for the wonderful comments :)**

 **Thank you to the following people for your awesome reviews on the previous chapter:**

 **RoseEmbers99**

 **Tripledent**

 **HollyAnne1084**

 **Orangebird124**

 **CNBW**

 **Pearl Bramble of Willowbottom**

 **Junior VB**

 **Thay (Thanks for your lovely review in Portuguese! Obrigado!)**

 **This story is still far from done but next I'd like to write a chapter for the TearBrick I have going on at the same time as this story…**

 **Thanks again and I hope you all stick around to see what lies in store for "Fuzz" and "Twink" :)**

 **Svinorita.**


	5. Feeling Your Heartbeat

**AUTHOR'S NOTE:**

 **Like long lost friends, we finally meet again!**

 **I want to apologize to all the readers who are following this story for the long delay since the last update! As it turned it, at one stage I had so many stories in progress at the same time…**

 **Some of these were centered on a seasonal occasion (like "Merry Emotional Christmas") or in the case of "The Curse of the Were-Disgust" Halloween (that story is still going!)**

 **Others still were close to completion and I was concentrating on finishing those before returning to stories like this one that still have a few chapters to come!**

 **Once again, I'd like to thank all the people who have been leaving reviews for this story and I hope you'll all rejoin me where we left off! I promise this story will be updated more regularly from now on until completion, so let's get to it :)**

 **Let's see what our Inside Out "Romeo and Juliet" have been getting up to since the last chapter…**

 **Svinorita.**

* * *

 **Chapter 5 – Feeling Your Heartbeat.**

Joy woke up the next morning with a spring in her step. After all, why wouldn't she?

She jumped out of bed with a smile on her face and went about her morning duties with renewed enthusiasm. As she sat down in front of her vanity mirror and started brushing her hair, she couldn't stop thinking about those lovely gifts Fear had left in her room last night after she returned from her private talk with Sadness.

That heartfelt gesture by her purple co-worker spoke more to her than words ever could! It was proof of how much he cared about her and showed her just how deep his feelings for her ran!

Joy paused midway through brushing her hair and picked up the beautiful red rose that had been left in a vase on her bedside dresser. She closed her eyes and inhaled its sweet scent, her heart beginning to beat faster as she thought about Fear.

Suddenly, Joy opened her eyes and gave a deep sigh. She put the rose back in its vase and stared at the gift with apprehension. Despite the euphoria she felt whenever she was around Fear lately, she also couldn't help feeling a little unsure. She was aware of how shy and insecure her purple co-worker was and she began to worry that she may be coming onto him too strongly.

True. She couldn't deny that she had developed strong feelings for him as well, but the last thing she wanted to do was hurt his feelings and humiliate him in front of the other Emotions by making her newfound affection towards him too obvious.

As Joy got changed into her favorite lime-green dress, she couldn't stop smiling to herself. She had never experienced falling in love before nor had she ever felt so valued by anyone else in her entire life! But there was no doubt in her mind that Fear had definitely fallen for her like a ton of bricks and the thought made her heart sing with delight!

Joy laughed out loud as she twirled in exhilaration, her dress spinning around her so that she almost resembled a Spanish senorita doing the flamenco dance. She plucked the handwritten note Fear had left for her last night from her dresser and started reading through his message again.

Slowly the smile melted from her face as she remembered something she had heard about love one time. It was a line from some old romantic movie that Riley had watched and after everything that had happened over the past few days between her and Fear, Joy couldn't help feeling slightly troubled by it.

" _In love, there is always one who loves more than the other…"_

Joy shook her head and tried to banish the thought from her mind.

 _Think positive! That's your job Joy!_ She reminded herself mentally as she put away Fear's note and prepared to make her way downstairs for breakfast.

 _Everything is going to work out just fine! He loves me and I love him! He's the perfect Emotion for me…_

Joy felt her former cheerfulness returning as she finally convinced herself that things will turn out perfectly for them. They just need to give it a little time and build on their relationship slowly. Then eventually, everyone will learn to accept the situation as it is!

On that positive note, Joy skipped out of her room and descended the ramp leading into the main room full of happiness. She burst into the kitchen like a ray of sunshine…and discovered Disgust and Anger engaged in deep conversation around the dining table.

Joy offered her two colleagues a friendly smile as she walked over to them. "Good morning guys! I've got a feeling it's going to be a beautiful day today!" She announced cheerfully.

Disgust and Anger stopped talking abruptly and both glanced at their yellow co-worker with guilty expressions on their faces.

Joy's smile faltered slightly at their odd reactions to her greeting, but she tried to assure herself that it wasn't anything to worry about.

 _Ah…Anger is still probably feeling a little upset about what happened in here the other day!_

Joy looked at the red Emotion apologetically. Her voice was filled with remorse and sincerity as she addressed him with a heartfelt apology. "Oh Anger! I'm so sorry about the way I reacted the other day! I didn't mean to hit you and insult you…"

She looked down at the floor guiltily and confessed, "It's just that I've had so many things on my mind lately and I was feeling overwhelmed by it all! I'm sorry for overreacting…"

Anger gazed at the yellow Emotion contemplatively. But instead of losing his temper, he just nodded slowly and mumbled, "Mm-hmm…it's alright I guess…"

But it was Disgust's reaction that shocked Joy with its unexpected intensity.

The green Emotion glared at her accusingly, her emerald-colored eyes flashing with resentment as she confronted her yellow co-worker with brutal directness. "Joy! I think that was totally out of line! I've heard about Mind Workers who got fired from their jobs for much less than what you did to Anger!"

Joy gasped and took an instinctive step back from the hostility in her green co-worker's voice. "B-b-but…I s-said I was s-sorry!" She stuttered as Disgust's hard stare cut straight through her soul and made her feel hollow inside.

Anger was equally shocked by the explosiveness of Disgust's response. But seeing his leader looking so wounded snapped him out of his stupor and he sprang to her defense quickly.

"Hey! That's enough Disgust!" He declared firmly. He looked up at her disapprovingly and gestured to Joy with one arm. "Can't you see you're making her upset?! Let's not fight anymore okay?"

Disgust pulled a face of contempt at Anger. "Oh thank you very much! I'm trying to stand up for you here and that's what I get in return?!" She snapped irately.

Anger's head began to smolder as he threatened to burst in flames. But before he could react, both he and Disgust were interrupted by Joy's quivering voice.

"All I can say is I'm genuinely sorry and I promise it will never happen again!" She sniffled, a single large teardrop rolling down her face as she looked up at them with utter remorsefulness.

Joy drew in a shaky breath and clasped her hands together in front of her chest. Then she went on hesitantly, "I actually wanted to talk to you guys about something..."

She took another deep breath and averted her gaze to the floor in shame. "Maybe I'm not as suitable for the role of Riley's Lead Emotion as I thought I was…"

Joy looked up at them slowly and offered, "Maybe it's time for somebody else to take over from me?"

"Well maybe somebody should!" Disgust scoffed harshly, her steely gaze once again making Joy flinch from its ferocity.

"Someone with a much clearer head for one thing! Surely you've been preoccupied with _other things_ at the moment?!" Disgust's frown deepened as she pressed home her argument further.

The three Emotions were so focused on each other that they failed to notice Sadness and Fear entering the kitchen with expressions of deep concern written all over their faces.

And nobody expected _Fear_ to be so brave when he challenged Disgust by demanding, "And who might that somebody be…? Perhaps _you_ Disgust?"

Disgust whirled around to face him, her eye narrowed in defiance as she retorted, "And why not?!"

She pointed a finger at Joy and stated, "I'm not the one walking around with my head in the clouds!"

The green Emotion regarded Fear with a scowl before adding coldly, "And I'm not thinking about boys and trying to get everyone's attention as I go about chasing my love life!"

Fear gasped and looked away uncomfortably, his courage abandoning him as embarrassment took its place.

 _She knew about the romance developing between him and Joy?!_

Fear glanced at Joy quickly, his gray eyes full of betrayal as he met her gaze briefly. He couldn't read her expression properly but he thought he saw a guilty look in her blue eyes. He sighed and looked away before she could reassure him that she hadn't told anyone about their secret feelings towards each other.

Joy felt like her heart was being ripped in two as she interpreted Fear's response as rejection. She wanted to dig a hole and disappear right now! First she had let Riley down by doubting that she was a good enough leader and now the other Emotions had all turned against her as well!

Anger cleared his throat and tried to diffuse the tension. He grabbed Disgust's arm firmly, but not hard enough to hurt her and warned, "Disgust! That's enough now…"

Before anyone could say anything, Joy burst out in tears. She covered her face with her hands and wept desolately, "If you guys thought I'm not good enough, why didn't you say something?! Instead you're all making me feel like I care only about myself and not Riley!"

She took her hands away from her face and wailed desperately, "But I do! Riley has always been my number one priority and I'd do anything to make her happy!"

Sadness walked over to her heartbroken friend and gave her a massive hug. The blue Emotion was crying too as she whispered, "Oh Joy! Please don't listen to her! We all know how much you care about Riley and everyone else!"

Sadness rubbed her on the back in an attempt to reassure her and continued, "You are so caring and kind! And you're always trying to make everyone feel happy!"

The blue Emotion gave a sad sigh and mumbled, "But that's not possible _all_ the time…"

Fear had walked up behind them and joined Sadness in rubbing Joy's back soothingly. Even Anger was looking remorseful, as though he felt like all this tension was because of him.

The red Emotion stepped forward and placed his hand on Joy's shoulder as gently as he could. "Joy, I said it's alright! Don't beat yourself up over it!"

He cracked a half-smile and insisted, "Maybe I even deserved that insult and slap in the face! You know I have a tendency to react before thinking about the consequences of my actions!"

Joy wiped the tears from her eyes as she glanced up at Anger slowly. The corner of her mouth twitched in the tiniest hint of a smile and she was just about to offer him a word of condolence when all of a sudden, Disgust's shriek of outrage cut through the air like a bullwhip.

"GET A GRIP ALL OF YOU!" The green Emotion seethed spitefully.

The others stared at her in astonishment as she balled her fists at her sides and stomped her foot in frustration. "I feel like I'm surrounded by a bunch of cry-babies!"

Her eyes flashed with contempt as she focused her gaze at Joy and sniped, "It's no wonder everything is falling apart around here when our _leader_ can't even get her priorities straight and do her job properly!"

Joy felt like someone had physically slapped her as Disgust's words found their mark and obliterated every last shred of her self-belief.

She refused to make eye-contact with Disgust as she retaliated in desperation, "So that's what you really think is it? You're so sure that you can do a better job than me…?"

The other three Emotions tried to console her but Joy squirmed out from under their hands and got to her feet shakily. She was beginning to hyperventilate and she felt as if the room was suffocating her, but somehow she managed to face Disgust one last time.

"Fine! If you want the job so badly, you can have it! You can be in charge!" She declared shrilly.

Disgust looked slightly taken aback by Joy's sudden and dramatic show of relenting. But she quickly recovered her composure and stood her ground defiantly.

Joy meanwhile had reached her breaking point. She looked away from the others in shame and stood with her shoulders hunched in despair as she sobbed, "If you think I'm some pathetic love-struck idiot who doesn't know what she's doing, then you take over!"

Sadness put a hand on Joy's arm compassionately, her voice beginning to quiver as she pleaded, "Oh Joy! She doesn't mean it! She's just jealous because she wants the love and attention you've been getting lately!"

Disgust narrowed her eye peevishly at the blue Emotion, but she didn't say anything in contradiction. Instead she folded her arms over her chest and avoided their critical stares stubbornly.

Sadness sighed dismally and fought back the urge to cry herself. She gave Joy's arm a gentle squeeze and offered in a trembling voice, "Please don't cry anymore Joy. If you can't stop, then I can't either and our tears are going to flood Headquarters…"

But Joy was inconsolable by now. "I don't need this! I don't deserve this right now!" She wept through a stream of tears. She tore herself out of Sadness' grasp and buried her face in her hands as she ran out of the room as fast as she could.

She needed to get out of here! She didn't know where she was going and she didn't care…

All Joy knew for certain is that she couldn't stand their judgement any longer and she had to get away before she had a full-blown nervous breakdown!

Joy cried uncontrollably as she sprinted out of the kitchen and headed for the Recall Tube. The last thing she heard as she rounded the corner and disappeared down the hall was Fear's desperate, pleading voice echoing in her ears, "No Joy! Please wait!"

 _Poor Fear…he almost sounds like a wounded animal…_ Joy thought with a sense of guilt.

But she ran on regardless. It felt like all the tension and depression she had been feeling over the past few weeks, as well as the elation and love she had developed for Fear had collided inside her head and it was all too much for her to take…

XXX

The other Emotions all took off after Joy. They called out to her desperately and tried their best to get her to stop. But Joy had been too fast and by the time they had followed her into the main room, she had already disappeared and no one knew where she had gone.

They spent the next hour searching the whole of Headquarters for her, systematically looking through every room in the hopes of locating their distraught friend. Disgust checked all the bedrooms while Sadness focused her search around the main room. Despite their urgency to find Joy, somebody still had to stay close to the console in case Riley needed something, and Sadness had volunteered for the task. She knew she was too slow to cover a large search area, but she still did her best to help by checking every nook and cranny in the control room.

Meanwhile, Anger and Fear had taken the search outside. Anger wandered through the maze of Long Term Memory and even went as far as the edge of the Memory Dump, but no matter how hard any of them searched, Joy was nowhere to be found.

Fear spent more than an hour looking for her in Imagination Land. Even though this place was massive and provided an endless possibility of places where Joy could have hidden, he was relentless in his search. He used his natural speed to cover a lot of ground in a reasonably short amount of time and called out her name until he nearly lost his voice.

But as the hours went by and there was still no sign of her, it almost appeared as though Joy had vanished into thin air and they would never find her.

Finally Fear stopped at the edge of a cliff overlooking the Islands of Personality. He had practically run himself into the ground and he felt as if he would collapse from exhaustion. His heart was pounding so fast after his frantic dash around Imagination Land that Fear began to worry that it would burst from overexertion. His whole body was sore and it physically hurt him to breathe as he struggled to get enough air into his lungs.

He stood there gazing hopelessly at the Islands of Personality, the physical discomfort he felt being nothing compared to the anguish he was feeling in his heart over Joy.

 _I have to keep looking! She would never give up on me and I can't let her down! Especially now when she needs a friend more than ever!_ Fear told himself with renewed determination.

He scanned the Islands in the distance and gave a desperate sob as he uttered out loud, "Oh Joy! Where are you…?"

Then suddenly, a he had a revelation. His axon shot straight up as he turned his gaze to one of the largest Islands on the horizon, the very same Island that he cherished more than any other place in the Mind World…

 _Could it be possible…?_ Fear wondered with a fresh wave of hope flowing through his heart.

For the briefest of moments, a small smile of anticipation appeared on Fear's lips. Then ignoring the pain in his tired legs, the purple Emotion began walking purposefully towards the warm, inviting sanctuary that was Family Island…

XXX

Fear hurried across the bridge and entered Family Island, growing more hopeful that he would find Joy here with every passing second. He recalled telling her the other day when she had come to his room to comfort him following the incident with Anger, how he liked to come out here whenever he was feeling extremely sad.

He had described how there was an old willow tree in the very center of Family Island with a solitary bench hidden under the willow's weeping branches. No one could see you there (unless they happened to be standing a few feet away from the tree) and overall, it was a very serene and safe place. Any time he wanted to be alone and didn't wish to be disturbed, Fear would come out here and just sit under that willow, where he could lose himself in his thoughts for a while.

With that thought at the forefront of his mind, Fear spurned his aching muscles into action and sprinted the rest of the way to the heart of Family Island.

Finally he reached the sprawling parkland that formed the center of the Island, his heart full of hope as he made a beeline straight for the willow.

As he drew closer, he could hear the distinct sound of soft sobbing coming from under the tree. Fear stifled a squeal of delight as he parted the branches with trembling fingers and found Joy sitting on the bench. Her head was bowed in misery as she cried softly, making no attempt to wipe the tears that rolled down her face and dripped into her lap like tiny rain droplets.

She looked up slowly at his approach, her blue eyes bloodshot from crying before averting her gaze from his in shame.

Fear went over to her and knelt down in front of her. He rested a reassuring hand on her knee and whispered in a quiet, soothing voice, "Shhh…it's okay Twink. I'm here…stop crying my sweet one…"

Joy gave a shuddering sob as she collapsed onto her knees and wrapped her arms around him in a tight embrace. Fear returned her hug compassionately, closing his eyes as he allowed her to cry onto his shoulder.

Joy drew in a shaky breath and whispered in between her tears, "Oh Fuzz! How did you know where to find me…?"

Fear opened his eyes and patted her on the back gently as she held onto him. "I will always find you and I'll always be here for you Joy." He promised softly.

The two Emotions stayed in each other's embrace for a few minutes, drawing strength from one another until finally Joy slowly calmed down and her tears gradually subsided. Fear closed his eyes once more as he felt her heart beating against his chest. The soothing rhythm helped to slow down his own racing heart and after a while, it felt as if their hearts were beating in sync.


	6. Peace Will Come

**AUTHOR'S NOTE:**

 **Well folks, this is a bit of a surprise! I was initially planning to write a chapter for "The Curse of the Were-Disgust" before working on the next part of this story, but I am still feeling a little guilty about making you guys wait so long for an update on this story…**

 **So I decided to go ahead and write the next chapter of this story before continuing with the other one! I hope you guys don't mind… ;)**

 **So that leaves only one thing to do…let's get stuck into another chapter of "One Summer of Joy!"**

 **Actually before we do that, I'd like to send out a huge thank you to** _ **CNBW, Tripledent**_ **and** _ **Orangebird124**_ **for those heartwarming reviews to the previous chapter and also thank you to all the silent readers who have been following all the romance and drama of this story :)**

 **Now, let's go spend some more time with "Fuzz" and "Twink" shall we?**

 **Svinorita.**

* * *

 **Chapter 6 – Peace Will Come.**

Fear and Joy decided to spend the rest of the day on Family Island together. They took a relaxing stroll through the beautiful parkland which dominated the center of the Island, walking hand-in-hand as they engaged in some friendly conversation.

After a while, Joy's mood improved spectacularly. Being alone with Fear and basking in his kindness and affection turned out to be the best remedy for both her mind and her heart. By the end of the day, Joy was practically restored to her former fun-loving, cheerful self!

After spending the best part of an hour exploring their serene surroundings, the two Emotions decided to take a break and they sat down together beside a big daisy shrub that was bursting with small brightly-colored flowers. Joy watched her purple co-worker with a big smile of admiration as he picked a few of the pink and white flowers and started entwining the stems together, forming a small circle that resembled a floral crown.

When he was finished, Fear held up his creation proudly, an unmistakable look of fondness in his big gray eyes as he leaned forward and gently laid the daisy crown on top of Joy's head. Then he proceeded to make a small ceremony out of it, as though Joy were a newly crowned queen!

As Fear put the "crown" on her head, he gave a nervous chuckle and declared in his most regal sounding voice, "Lady Joy! I, Fuzz crown you princess of my heart!"

Joy brought her hand up to her mouth and giggled happily. "Oh thank you My Lord! I feel so privileged to wear it!"

The two Emotions locked gazes and simultaneously burst out laughing. Joy threw her arms around Fear's neck and kissed him on the cheek gratefully. She absolutely adored him and for a moment at least, he made her feel happier than she could ever recall feeling…and that's saying a lot considering that she is the very personification of happiness!

Gradually as it grew later in the afternoon and the shadows began to lengthen over the Mind World, Joy and Fear knew that it was time to return to Headquarters. The two Emotions reached the edge of Family Island and walked over the bridge leading to Long Term Memory, holding hands and chatting away happily.

Joy was still wearing the daisy crown Fear had made for her and the radiant aura that constantly surrounded her seemed to be glowing much brighter than usual, as though the love and exhilaration she felt in her heart for him was making her shine like a star!

As they reached the Recall Tube that would take them home to Headquarters, both Emotions hesitated and looked at each other with apprehension. Already the bliss Joy had felt on Family Island was being replaced with dread as she thought about facing the others after the drama that had taken place this morning. Truth be told, she wasn't particularly looking forward to seeing any of them and she couldn't help feeling ashamed of herself for having broken down and run away like that.

 _Is that what a true leader would do?_ Joy mused with a hint of self-loathing. Deep down she couldn't blame the other Emotions for despising her…after that impressive show of "leadership" she had pulled this morning, how could she expect any of them to respect her authority ever again?!

Fear seemed to sense her growing despair and he glanced at her compassionately. "It's okay Twink. I know you're scared but we have to go back."

He chuckled nervously before adding self-consciously, "And I don't know whether it's of any consolation, but I want you to know that I'll always be here for you…"

Joy looked up at him with adoration in her eyes. "Oh Fuzz! That's the sweetest thing anyone has ever said to me!"

Fear blushed and squeezed her hand tightly. Then he turned his attention back to the Recall Tube and sighed reluctantly.

They both knew that they couldn't delay the inevitable much longer. Riley needed to have all her Emotions looking out for her and that was impossible to do from out here.

Fear did his best to reassure Joy and offer her encouragement. He wrapped an arm around her waist and drew her towards himself protectively as he coaxed her into the Recall Tube. Then he closed his eyes and held onto Joy tightly as the suction transported them back into Headquarters.

Both Emotions were secretly hoping to bypass everyone once they arrived home.

But unfortunately that was not meant to be…

As soon as the Recall Tube deposited Joy and Fear into Headquarters, the other three Emotions surrounded them in an instant, talking over each other as they smothered them with an endless stream of questions.

Anger shouldered his way to the front of the group, fixing Fear with a steely gaze as he said in a gruff voice, "I don't believe it! You actually found her Beanpole!"

Then his amber-colored eyes glinted with malice as he taunted his purple co-worker sarcastically, "What took you so long anyway? I was beginning to think you'd gotten yourself lost out there and that we'd need to find _you_ as well as Joy!"

Fear flinched and gave a deflated sigh as he turned his gaze to the floor in embarrassment.

Before Joy could react to his distress, she felt someone tugging at her arm. Glancing down, she saw Sadness looking up at her with eyes that were red from too much crying.

"Oh Joy! We were so worried about you! Where have you been?" The little blue Emotion sobbed as she threw her arms around Joy's waist and hugged her tightly.

"Aw, Sadness…I'm sorry for upsetting you…" Joy apologized whilst regarding her friend with a guilty expression.

Sadness continued sobbing, her tears beginning to soak Joy's dress. Before the yellow Emotion could think of something else to say to console her, she was interrupted by Disgust clearing her throat loudly.

She looked up hesitantly at the green Emotion and noticed the remorseful expression on her face as Disgust rubbed the back of her neck uncomfortably. "Ah…are you okay Joy?"

Joy gave an exhausted sigh and without saying anything, nodded meekly as she averted her eyes to the floor in shame. What was she supposed to say anyway? That she was sorry for being a coward and for once again putting her own interests before Riley's?!

She knew the other Emotions were just expressing their concern for her, but right now she really didn't feel like talking about her failures as a leader. She was physically and mentally exhausted and all she wanted was to go to her room and rest!

Luckily, she was saved by Fear once again…

As the others continued bombarding her with questions, Fear stood behind her back and waved his arms to shift their focus to him. One by one, the other Emotions looked at their purple colleague and stopped talking as he made the "Timeout" sign with his hands.

Fear gave a deep sigh. Then he took everyone by surprise as he stated matter-of-factly, "I appreciate your concern, but as you can see, we are fine and Joy is safe and sound."

Joy felt his hand tightening around her shoulders protectively. She glanced up at him and noticed a small smile of reassurance on his lips as he added quietly, "Joy has been through a lot today and right now she needs to get some rest. If you don't mind, I'll just escort her to her room and then I'll return to fill you in on everything that's been happening…"

With that, Fear turned and ignored the confused looks the other Emotions were giving them as he led Joy up the ramp and towards her room with his arm slung around her shoulders.

XXX

Joy closed the door to her room quietly. She had invited Fear in for a few minutes so she could tell him how grateful she was for his kindness and compassion away from prying eyes. Now as they stood facing each other in the center of the room, Joy gave a little laugh of delight and threw her arms around his neck before kissing him gently on the cheek.

"Thank you for everything you've done for me today Fear!" Joy whispered as she closed her eyes and hugged him tightly.

Suddenly her cheerful voice took on a sad note as she drew in a shaky breath and confessed, "I don't know what I would do without you sometimes…"

Fear was rubbing her back soothingly with one hand as he listened to her heartfelt words. A tiny smile of appreciation traced his lips as he replied softly, "Ah, you'd do just fine Twink! You're one tough cookie whether you know it or not!"

Joy gave a half-hearted laugh in response. "I don't feel so tough at the moment!"

The yellow Emotion drew away from their embrace gently and bent down to rub her sore feet and ankles. "My feet are absolutely killing me…"

Fear was silent for a moment as he sympathized with her pain. The muscles in his legs and lower back hurt terribly as a result of him running all over the Mind World in his desperate search for Joy earlier. But even though Fear had a relatively low tolerance to any kind of physical discomfort, he knew deep in his heart that all the pain he put himself through today had been worth it if it meant that he was able to find Joy and bring her back to Headquarters safe and sound!

Slowly, a playful grin appeared on his purple face as he watched Joy fussing over her aching feet.

Attempting to make himself appear much more confident than he felt, Fear snapped his fingers and announced with exaggerated seriousness, "Well in that case, take a seat and make yourself comfortable my lady! Dr. Fuzz is coming to the rescue…"

Before Joy could question him, Fear gestured for her to sit down at the edge of her bed while he seated himself on the floor next to her dangling feet. Joy played along with mounting curiosity and stifled a squeal of surprise as Fear lifted one of her feet and placed it on his knee. Then taking the utmost care not to hurt her, he started massaging her sore foot with his long, nimble fingers.

Joy felt as if she would melt under his soothing touch! She closed her eyes and threw her head back with pure delight as Fear massaged first one foot, then the other with expert skill.

"Mmm…that feels divine! Did I just die and go to heaven?" Joy mumbled, an expression of complete satisfaction on her face.

As Fear continued massaging her feet for a few minutes, Joy thought she heard him singing something under his breath.

 _That's odd…I've never heard Fear sing anything before…_ She mused as she opened her eyes and studied her purple co-worker quizzically.

Joy's interest was well and truly piqued. She leaned forward slightly and strained her ears to hear what he was humming but no matter how carefully she listened, she just couldn't make out the words…

Finally she was unable to hide her curiosity any longer. "Hey Fuzz? What are you humming? That melody sounds kind of familiar…"

Fear stopped humming abruptly. He felt the blood rushing to his cheeks as he blushed and looked away from Joy's questioning eyes timidly. "Oh…it's…it's nothing!"

The purple Emotion fiddled with his bowtie and gave a nervous laugh. "It's just something silly that came into my head…that's all…"

"Oh?" Joy asked with a raised eyebrow. She nudged her nervous colleague with her foot gently and insisted in a playful tone, "Well let's hear it then!"

Fear bit his lip and shook his head as he avoided making eye-contact with her.

Seeing his unease, Joy reached out and gave his trembling shoulder a friendly squeeze. "I'm sure whatever it is, it's wonderful because there's nothing silly in your head Fear! You're one of the smartest Emotions around here!"

Fear looked at her slowly. He gave her the briefest of smiles before returning his gaze to the floor doubtfully.

Joy smiled back at him reassuringly. Then she squeezed his shoulder more firmly and ventured dramatically, "You wouldn't want me to run back to Family Island right now would you? I mean, it's pretty dark outside and you'd have to come and get me because nobody else knows about our secret place…"

Fear shuddered instinctively at the thought. "No…we shouldn't be outside in the dark…"

Finally the purple Emotion gave a resigned sigh and turned to face her once more. "Okay! I'll sing it for you out loud then!" He offered in a deflated tone.

Joy clapped her hands in excitement. "Oh brilliant!"

Fear's shoulders slouched submissively, his axon drooping as he gave another deep sigh. "But I'll warn you that I'm terribly tuneless when it comes to singing…"

With that, Fear took a deep breath and sang the song he made up especially for Joy as best as he could:

" _Twinkle, twinkle little star,_

 _You are the princess of my heart._

 _Open your eyes and then you'll see,_

 _You are the only one for me._

 _I love you with my mind and soul,_

 _Together you and I can have it all."_

Fear finished singing and hid his face with his arms. He couldn't believe he had just done that! Joy would probably burst out laughing and call him a loser at any second! Then she'll walk away and refuse to acknowledge his existence ever again…

But much to Fear's surprise (and intense relief!) Joy didn't do any of those things. Instead, the yellow Emotion gave a squeal of delight as she scooped him into her arms and embraced him with absolute devotion.

"Oh Fuzz! That's the most beautiful thing I've ever heard in my life!" She exclaimed as she squeezed him so tightly that Fear worried she would accidentally bust his ribs from her over exuberance!

"I'm glad you liked it Joy…" He wheezed breathlessly, his eyes looking twice their normal size as he gasped for air.

Finally Joy let him go and he rubbed his bruised ribs gingerly as he fought to regain his breath.

Joy on the other hand, seemed lost in her own blissful thoughts as she stared into space with a massive smile on her face. "Tomorrow I'll try to accompany you with my accordion…" She uttered in a dreamy voice.

Then just as suddenly her bout of extreme happiness appeared, a fresh wave of exhaustion came over her as Joy shook her head and slumped back onto her bed with a tired sigh.

"But right now, I really should get some rest. I'm so tired…" She said more to herself than to Fear.

Fear had also recovered from nearly getting the life crushed out of him, and he nodded at Joy with simple understanding. "Okay. I'll leave you to rest now my sweetest while I go and talk to the others on your behalf."

Joy smiled at him gratefully and whispered, "Thank you for doing this for me Fear."

Fear smiled back shyly, his axon briefly forming a love heart symbol as he replied, "Goodnight Joy. May your dreams be as sweet and lovely as you!"

He quickly kissed her on both cheeks before exiting the room and closing the door behind him quietly. His heart was beating really fast as Fear walked down the hallway and headed for the main room to rejoin the other Emotions like he'd promised.

XXX

As soon as Fear walked into the control room, he found the other three Emotions standing around the console in anticipation.

Sadness was looking gloomier than usual, standing off to one side and staring at the floor as she sniffled and twisted the hem of her sweater listlessly.

Disgust appeared to be really uncomfortable. Fear noted the way she kept wringing her hands together and pacing in front of the console as he approached them. Even Anger glanced up at him with an expression that Fear could only interpret as remorse as he came to a stop in front of them.

Disgust stopped her antsy pacing and looked up at him with concern in her green eyes. "Is she really okay?" She asked Fear hesitantly.

Fear took a deep breath and let it out slowly as he gathered his composure and explained in a calm, level voice, "Yeah…she's resting finally. Listen, some of you guys have been really hard on her lately. Joy's been going through a bit of a rough patch and she needs all of us to show a little support and understanding…"

Fear paused as he felt their eyes staring at him intently. He hated being the center of attention like this! Normally, no one paid much notice of him whenever he decided to share his thoughts and opinions with them regarding current topics of interest in theirs and Riley's lives, and he had grown somewhat accustomed to being ignored over the years.

But now that they were all so focused on him, their eyes full of expectation as they waited for him to continue speaking, Fear felt the tell-tale signs of a panic attack coming on. He began trembling involuntarily and he struggled to find the right words as his brain froze with anxiety.

He felt a trickle of sweat rolling down his back as he drew in a shuddering breath and swallowed back his nerves before continuing in a shaky voice, "She's…she's feeling really anxious and doubting herself."

Fear brought his hands up to his chest and clasped them together, his gray eyes searching their faces desperately as he emphasized, "We should be trying to rally behind Joy and help her get through this because that's what friends are supposed to do! Not criticize and judge her when she needs our support more than ever!"

Fear nearly choked as he felt a wave of sorrow wash over him and he looked away from his co-workers desolately. "She was always here for all of us…" He muttered dejectedly.

The other three Emotions were looking equally distraught as Fear's words echoed around inside their heads and the guilt hit them like a landslide.

Sadness wiped away a few tears that had begun to form in her eyes as she came and stood next to Fear. She placed a reassuring hand on his arm and a look of understanding and compassion passed between the two Emotions.

Then Sadness looked over at Anger and Disgust and addressed them with simple directness. "Fear is right! I think Joy is the best leader Riley can have…at least for a few more years."

The blue Emotion glanced up at Fear and gave him a sad smile. "I mean just think about it. Out of all of us, Joy is the best suited for the role of leader. She's smart and caring and she always tries to put a positive spin on any situation! Her personality shines through and manifests itself in Riley! It's because of her that Riley has turned into such a beautiful and kind person!"

Sadness' hand was still resting on Fear's arm and the purple Emotion patted it gently with his own hand. Sadness looked up at him and he smiled back at her proudly.

Then he turned his attention to Anger and Disgust and declared with renewed confidence, "I completely agree with Sadness!"

Fear pointed a finger at his chest and declared, "I know I wouldn't be a good leader! I'm all for safety…"

"Which is a good thing!" He insisted adamantly as the others groaned and rolled their eyes impatiently.

Then he sighed and admitted reluctantly, "But with my cautious and jumpy nature, I would only make Riley feel nervous and insecure most of the time!"

Sadness gave a gloomy sigh and said, "I wouldn't be a good leader either. First of all, I'm not leadership material!"

She adjusted her glasses and looked down shyly. "I'm soft and comforting. With me in charge, Riley would be timid and meek, and everyone would probably take advantage of her…"

Sadness glanced at Anger and added hesitantly, "Don't take this the wrong way, but I don't think you would be the best leader either Anger. You can't control your temper and under your guidance, Riley would become impulsive and unpredictable."

Sadness bit her lip and averted her gaze as she pointed out uneasily, "Remember that time you took the initiative and made Riley think that she would be better off back in Minnesota instead of here with her parents…"

Anger looked wracked with guilt as the awful memory of Riley boarding that bus and almost running away came back to haunt him.

"Yeah, yeah…I remember. It's not one of my finest moments." The red Emotion grumbled regretfully.

Finally he gave a reluctant shrug and relented. "As much as I hate to admit it, I wasn't ready to lead Riley then and I guess I'm still not ready now…"

Fear nodded and looked at Disgust contemplatively. "How about you Disgust? Do you have anything to add…?"

Disgust narrowed her eye at her purple co-worker defiantly. Finally, she gave a loud groan of irritation and confessed, "Urgh fine! I suppose Joy should keep her position for now…"

Despite herself, Disgust couldn't help offering an argument in her own defense. She put her hands on her hips and informed the others sassily, "But maybe a few years from now when Riley is well into her teens, I think I could really help make an impact in her life!"

Disgust nodded to herself and a faraway look appeared in her eyes as she began thinking out loud. "I could help her stay on top of the latest fashion trends…and boyfriends! Yeah! Riley would need my judgement to help her decide which ones are potential keepers and which ones she should run away from like a bad smell!"

Sadness yawned loudly. "Yeah, yeah Disgust. Maybe in a few years' time…" She said tiredly.

The blue Emotion stifled another yawn. "I don't know about you guys, but I'm very tired…"

Fear gave her a compassionate look before addressing the others willfully, "So? Do we all agree to support Joy from now on?"

"And stop fighting and become friends again?" Sadness added hopefully.

Disgust and Anger looked at each other and nodded in agreement.

"Yes. I'm sorry for those nasty things I said to Joy earlier and I hope she can forgive me." Disgust mumbled unconvincingly.

Anger elbowed her in the arm, which earned him a look of absolute contempt from his green co-worker.

"Well that's all settled then! You can all go to your rooms now and let me enjoy some peace and quiet on Dream Duty." He stated overeagerly.

The red Emotion didn't bother waiting for a response from his colleagues as he dismissed them with a casual wave of his arm.

Then he turned and made his way over to the sofa, throwing a departing comment over his shoulder as he went. "You never know? They might even broadcast some mildly amusing and utterly pointless dream tonight…"

Fear, Sadness and Disgust decided to call it a night and one by one, all three headed off into their rooms to get some sleep.

Anger made himself comfortable on the sofa and closed his eyes.

 _Finally! Some peace and quiet around here…_ he thought to himself contentedly.


	7. Kiss And Don't Tell!

**AUTHOR'S NOTE:**

 **There you go folks! That's all she wrote for this story!**

 **Joy's leadership troubles have been resolved and I think we should leave "Fuzz" and "Twink" to enjoy their blossoming romance in privacy. I know that my favorite purple Emotion is very shy, so I won't expose his love secrets any further :)**

 **I hope you all enjoyed this StarNerve/drama and I'd like to thank everyone for reading and reviewing! As always, I will thank each of the reviewers personally in order from oldest to most recent, so here goes!**

 _ **CNBW**_ **– Thank you for your touching reviews throughout the story! I'm glad you enjoyed my first attempt at writing a StarNerve story :)**

 _ **Orangebird124**_ **– Thank you so much for your detailed and heartfelt feedback my friend! I am so grateful for your wonderful support and I promise to continue writing many more stories! I have some ideas that I'm really looking forward to trying out and I know I can always count on your encouragement :)**

 _ **HollyAnne1084**_ **– Thank you for all the support and feedback you have given throughout this story as well as many of my others little fandom sister! I am so happy that I got to know you and enjoy your friendship :)**

 _ **Tripledent**_ **– Thank you so much for all your inspirational feedback my friend! Your reviews are always a pleasure to read and they even help inspire some of the content in my future chapters many times :)**

 _ **WriterofBliss**_ **– Thank you for the feedback! I'm glad you liked it :)**

 _ **RoseEmbers99**_ **– Thank you for your lovely reviews throughout the story my friend! Your feedback is always heartwarming and I'm happy that you enjoyed reading about the adventures of "Fuzz" and "Twink" :)**

 _ **Junior VB**_ **– Thank you for the review! I really appreciate it :)**

 _ **Pearl Bramble of Willowbottom**_ **– Thank you for reviewing this story my friend! It's always a pleasure receiving feedback from you and I hope you'll continue reading my stories in the future :)**

 _ **Thay**_ **– Thank you for that review and I'm glad you enjoyed it :)**

 _ **LionesssQueen**_ **– Thank you for taking the time to review and for those sweet words! Your feedback was very encouraging and I greatly appreciate it :)**

 **In addition to the reviewers, most of which have also put this story into their favorites/or story alerts, I'd also like to thank** _ **StarNerve**_ **for expressing interest by choosing to favorite/follow!**

 **And of course, I'd also like to send a great big THANK YOU to all the silent readers around the world for reading this story!**

 **Now, please feel free to read this final chapter and enjoy everyone! I'll be back with some brand new stories very shortly :)**

 **Svinorita.**

* * *

 **Chapter 7 – Kiss And Don't Tell!**

It was around 4 AM the next morning when Joy slipped out of her room and made her way quietly towards the kitchen. As she moved stealthily across the main room, she discovered Anger slumped over on the sofa, snoring softly and mumbling something in his sleep. Luckily for her, the red Emotion was naturally a heavy-sleeper so Joy was able to reach her destination without drawing any unwanted attention to herself!

She entered the kitchen and closed the door quietly behind her, letting out a sigh of relief as she switched on the light and started pulling out the ingredients she needed from the pantry.

Joy hadn't been able to get much sleep last night. She had lain in her bed, tossing and turning restlessly, her mind full of optimistic thoughts as she concocted a plan that she hoped would dispel any negative feelings between herself and the other Emotions.

So after giving it some thought, Joy decided that she was going to show them all that she was ready to leave her troubles behind and focus on being positive! She would get up bright and early and make some cookies for everyone as a surprise treat!

Despite the drama of yesterday, Joy felt like the air had been cleared up last night and she wanted her co-workers to know how much she valued their friendship and support. Besides, it was in her nature to try to make everyone around her feel happy.

 _And what better way of bringing a smile to their faces than by making something nice for them!_ Joy thought to herself with a pleased smile.

With that thought foremost in her mind, Joy ran through a mental list of what kinds of cookies she knew how to make:

 _Okay…I can do chocolate chip…some macadamia…ooh! And how about some white choc and raspberry…_

Once she had taken out all the ingredients she needed, Joy got to work on making her cookies. She began humming to herself as she mixed the ingredients together in a bowl. Slowly a huge smile crept across her face as she recalled how Fear had paid her a little visit last night after everyone else had gone to bed…

xxx

 _Joy had just about drifted off to sleep when she heard a soft knocking on her bedroom door. She remembered the fluttering feeling in her chest as she saw the door open to reveal Fear as he stepped into her room cautiously. He walked over to her and told her quietly that he had come to wish her goodnight and to let her know that he and the others had a serious talk about her recent hardships._

 _Joy tensed up instinctively upon hearing this. After the scene she had caused this morning and then running away instead of trying to resolve the issue like a true leader would, she dreaded learning what the other Emotions had to say about her…_

 _Fear seemed to sense her unease and he had gently taken her hand in his and held it reassuringly. Then he explained to her how everyone had promised that there would be no more fighting or arguing. After some careful deliberation, the other Emotions had reached a unanimous decision that Joy was still the best leader Riley could have and all of them would try their best to support their yellow co-worker in her duties from now on!_

 _Joy was in awe as she learned of the lengths Fear had gone to in order to defend her honor! She never had anyone stand up for her like that before and she was so stunned that she actually had to ask him twice just to prove to herself that she hadn't misunderstood what he'd said!_

" _Fuzz! Did you really talk to the others on my behalf like that?!" Joy uttered, her blue eyes wide with wonder._

 _Fear looked away from her face and nodded awkwardly. It was as if the realization of what he had done had just hit him and he couldn't quite believe it himself!_

 _Joy leapt out of bed and threw her arms around Fear's neck, showering his face with kisses as she laughed delightfully. "I can't believe how brave you've become my Fuzzy-Wuzzy!"_

 _Fear stiffened up instinctively at this overwhelming display of gratitude, his heart beginning to pound in his chest as his natural fight or flight response set in. But almost as suddenly as it appeared, the feeling subsided and was replaced with an intense sensation of love. He wrapped his long arms around her and embraced her back, relishing the affection she was showing him._

 _Fear gave a nervous chuckle and uttered in a small voice, "Neither can I Twink! But when it comes to you, I feel as protective as a lion defending his young…"_

 _A puzzled look appeared on his face and he pulled out of her embrace gently. Scratching his head thoughtfully, Fear ventured hesitantly, "Or is it the lioness that protects her young…?"_

 _Joy laughed at his confusion and took both his hands in hers as she exclaimed, "It doesn't matter! You are my protector…my Lion King!"_

 _She started spinning around exuberantly, forcing Fear to follow as she held onto his hands and sang, "In the jungle, the mighty jungle, the lion sleeps tonight…"_

 _A huge grin appeared on Fear's face as the two of them danced together, accompanied by Joy's enthusiastic singing._

" _Thank heavens! My beautiful Twink is back to her old self!" Fear said as he gazed into Joy's bright blue eyes lovingly._

 _xxx_

Joy gave a dreamy sigh as she remembered her chat with Fear from last night fondly. Bless his kind, sensitive heart! If it hadn't been for him, Joy didn't know whether she would have found the strength to pull herself out of the spiral of depression she had fallen into recently.

But thanks to Fear's help and perseverance, Joy felt like the darkness that had settled over her has been finally lifted and she was once again returning to her former happy and optimistic self!

"Okay! Let's get these cookies baked so everyone can experience a little bit of Joy this morning!" She told herself cheerfully as she went about her task with renewed enthusiasm.

XXX

Joy must have spent a few hours in the kitchen, but she was so engrossed in her baking that she didn't mind at all! She had just placed her tray of assorted cookies in the oven when she heard the first signs of activity coming from the main room through the closed kitchen door.

 _I guess the other Emotions are finally beginning to wake up..._ Joy thought with a little smile.

Then she looked at the oven apprehensively as another thought flashed through her mind.

 _I hope these cookies won't take too long to bake!_

Meanwhile on the other side of the door in the main room, Anger yawned loudly from the sofa, having just awoken from a restful sleep.

He was soon joined by Sadness as she descended the ramp and walked over to the console, dragging her feet sluggishly and complaining miserably. "I hate mornings…"

The blue Emotion glanced at the monitor which showed that Riley had woken up and was staring out her bedroom window at the early morning sunshine outside.

Sadness gave a depressing sigh at the sight of this. "And it looks like it's going to be a sunny day…where is all the rain?" She whined solemnly.

Disgust had just entered the room as Sadness finished lamenting and she regarded her blue co-worker with scorn. "Oh give me a break! You and Joy have been flooding Headquarters with so many tears over the past few days that it feels like we're in the middle of the rainy season in here!"

"Girls! Be quiet! I'm trying to concentrate here!" Anger broke in brashly.

Both Disgust and Sadness looked at their red co-worker curiously.

"What's wrong?" They asked simultaneously.

Anger held up a finger to signal silence as he sniffed the air intently. "I don't know what's happening, but something smells awfully delicious in here!"

Sadness followed his lead and closed her eyes as she breathed in deeply. "Mm…now that you mention it…"

All three Emotions looked in the direction of the kitchen, tracing the source of the yummy smell. Suddenly, the door swung open and Joy stepped into the room holding a tray of freshly-baked cookies with a proud smile on her face.

"Ta-da!" She announced cheerfully as she showed them her peace offering eagerly. "Am I all forgiven guys? Can we put everything that happened over the past couple of days behind us and go back to being friends again?"

Sadness gazed into her yellow co-worker's eyes with fondness as she replied, "We will always be friends Joy!"

Anger seemed much more interested in the tray of cookies than anything else at the moment. He spoke to Joy without taking his eyes off the appetizing treats that she paraded in front of them as he offered, "If you come a little closer with that tray we'll be friends for life!"

He placed a hand on his belly and stated, "This rumbling stomach is making me go stir crazy!"

Even Disgust was nodding in agreement. "With an offer like that, how could I refuse?"

She looked up at Joy, her face full of sincerity as she added apologetically, "Yeah, of course I want us to be friends again…and Joy? I'm really sorry about what I said to you yesterday. It's just that everyone has been acting so weird lately and I was feeling so frustrated!"

Disgust took a deep breath and averted her gaze from Joy's regretfully. "I know what I said was uncalled for and insensitive and I just wanted you to know that I didn't mean it…"

She felt a gentle touch on her shoulder and looked back up to see Joy smiling at her reassuringly. "It's okay Disgust. I forgive you! I know I haven't been acting like myself lately but I promise you that's going to change starting from today!"

Disgust gave her a grateful smile in return. Joy put the tray of cookies on the sofa and looked around with a puzzled expression.

"Hey, has anyone seen Fear this morning?" She asked curiously.

The other Emotions had already begun helping themselves to Joy's cookies hungrily.

"I wouldn't worry about it! Beanpole probably just overslept…" Anger answered through a mouthful of chocolate chip cookie.

"Yeah…" Joy muttered, her voice sounding unconvinced.

XXX

Once everyone had eaten their fill, Joy suggested that they could all have the rest of day off! She knew that she had neglected her duties lately and while she was wallowing in her self-pity and depression, the other Emotions were forced to work extra-hard to make up for her absence.

Despite everything the others said in her defense, Joy felt that she owed it to Riley as well as her co-workers to make up for her ignorance and resume her responsibilities as Lead Emotion. She assured them that she was feeling much better now and she wanted them to spend the day doing whatever they liked while she took charge at the console.

In the end, everyone agreed that if it would make their leader happy, they would take her advice and give Joy some time alone at the console. Disgust decided to go down to Fashion Island to do some shopping and check out the latest trends while Sadness and Anger both chose to spend some quiet time in their rooms and relax.

Fear still hadn't shown up but nobody was feeling overly concerned about his prolonged absence. They all assumed that he had overslept after his exhausting search for Joy in the Mind World yesterday and he would come down in his own time.

Joy didn't mention anything more about Fear's delayed appearance as she went about her duties with her former upbeat attitude. But Sadness couldn't help noticing that she kept looking in the direction of the ramp expectantly.

Finally Joy sighed quietly and turned her full attention to the monitor. As she took her position at the controls and started helping Riley get ready for school, Sadness and Disgust exchanged a knowing look. Their female intuitions were telling them that it wasn't only cookies that had been baked recently, there was something cooking between Joy and Fear as well…

Anger on the other hand seemed completely oblivious to the situation unfolding between Joy and Fear. Even if he _did_ sense something subconsciously, he probably just dismissed it with a blunt "Who cares?"

XXX

As soon as the other Emotions left to enjoy their downtime, Joy glanced quickly at the monitor and smiled. Riley had just finished getting ready for school and everything looked normal as she packed her books and prepared to leave the house. Joy decided Riley would be fine without her input for a few minutes and she started busying herself clearing up the plates from this morning's breakfast.

All of a sudden, she felt someone come up behind her and cover her eyes with their hands as she was about to pick up a plate.

"Guess who?" A gentle male voice whispered into her ear as Joy smiled and played along happily.

"Mm…let me guess…" Joy said as she reached back with her hand and started feeling the mystery Emotion's face.

"Maybe Prince Charming escaped from Dream Productions? Nah…no crown…" She concluded as she ran her fingers over the top of his head, almost poking him in the eye in the process!

Joy continued her search as she trailed her fingers over his long nose and brushed the downy texture of his cheek. "Hmmm…feels so soft and fuzzy…and smells like peppermint tea!"

Fear chuckled and took his hands away from her eyes as Joy spun around and exclaimed, "Why it's the Emotion of my dreams! My sweet purple Fuzz!"

Fear gazed into her beautiful blue eyes with adoration before throwing a nervous glance around the room. "Are we alone Twink? Have the others left?" He whispered anxiously.

Joy nodded and laughed at his relieved expression. "Yeah! I told them they could all have the day off and to leave Riley in my hands today!"

She gave him a sideways look and teased lightly, "I think you overslept a little my dear Fuzz! You missed out on morning regroup."

Slowly, a mischievous grin spread across Fear's face. He put his hands on his hips and informed Joy confidently, "No, I didn't oversleep. I just wanted you all to think that I did!"

He noticed Joy's puzzled expression and reached out to touch her forearm reassuringly. His big gray eyes were full of admiration as he explained, "I was more than happy to speak up for you last night Joy, but you needed to face them on your own to truly clear the air and to convince them that you really are back to normal!"

He rubbed the back of his neck nervously and pointed out, "If I was here, they might have seen the situation differently. They may even have thought that it's us against them and that would have created a division in the team rather than bring us all together again…"

Joy nodded slowly as she contemplated his words carefully. She couldn't deny that Fear had a good point.

"Yes you're right Fuzz." She looked up at him and smiled proudly. "I can assure you that all has been forgiven and I feel everyone was very understanding of my situation."

She shrugged and admitted apologetically, "I still don't know what triggered my depression in the first place, but I was overcome by a serious case of the blues and I guess I just needed time to snap out of it…"

Joy smiled at her purple co-worker and declared, "But in a way, you could say that all this drama was worthwhile!"

She took Fear's hands in her own and laughed fondly. "If I hadn't overacted following that incident with Anger in the kitchen, I never would have discovered just how much you really mean to me Fuzz!"

Fear blushed and looked away nervously. "I…I guess you're right about that Joy…"

He gave her a timid smile and expressed, "Helping you made me realize how much I love you and that I would do things for you that I never would have dreamed were possible for someone like me…"

Fear didn't get to finish his sentence as Joy threw her arms around his shoulders and embraced him lovingly. She kissed him on the cheek and whispered, "I feel so lucky to have you in my life Fear! I love you so much and I don't know where I would be without you!"

Fear closed his eyes and held onto Joy tightly.

 _I still can't believe she's mine!_ He thought to himself with love and pride in his heart.

Suddenly Fear detected a delicious smell hanging in the air. He tensed up and inhaled deeply, turning his head towards the kitchen as he traced the scent.

"Something smells really nice in here!" He took Joy by the arms and studied her face curiously. "What's cooking good-looking?"

Joy's smile grew wider as she pointed to the empty tray on the sofa and explained, "I baked some cookies this morning as a peace offering to the others!"

She picked up the tray and turned in the direction of the kitchen. "Don't worry! I have some more that I put aside for later…"

She giggled. "They were a real hit with Anger and he wanted me to save some for him later!"

Joy winked at Fear and said, "I can go make some tea and bring them out for _us_ to enjoy instead!"

With that, Joy hurried into the kitchen while Fear stayed behind to mind the console. He looked up at the monitor and saw that Riley was currently sitting in class, staring at her math book rather anxiously. It turns out she had a math test today which she completely forgot to study for and now the poor girl was on the verge of freaking out.

Fear felt his own heartbeat quicken as he heard Riley mumbling in a small panicky voice, "Oh no! I'm going to fail so badly…"

Fear was just about to press a button on the console which would have sent Riley into a full-blown panic attack, when he stopped suddenly, his hand hovering over the controls as a thought hit him.

He pictured the past few days he spent with Joy and remembered the courage he felt whenever he was around her. Slowly a massive grin appeared on his purple face as he decided to try to be a little more adventurous for a change…

His axon sprang upright and curled over his head confidently as he took a deep breath and pressed a different button, his new-found cockiness spreading through the console as Riley registered his input.

Riley's expression changed as she regarded her math book with nonchalance. She shrugged dismissively and commented, "Oh well…it's just a stupid math test! It's not the end of the world!"

Fear was feeling extremely pleased with himself.

 _That felt awesome!_ He thought as he watched Riley's reaction with pride. In fact, Fear was so engrossed in the monitor, that he didn't notice Joy coming out of the kitchen with a fresh batch of cookies and tea on her serving tray.

"Honey! I'm back!" Joy announced cheerfully.

The unexpected loudness of her voice startled Fear so much, that he gave an earsplitting shriek and dove behind the sofa instinctively.

Unfortunately, his scream wound up startling Joy as well and she dropped the tray, sending cookies and tea spilling all over the floor as she jumped backwards impulsively.

Fear peeked out from behind the sofa cautiously, his eyes widening as he realized what he had done.

He gave a desolate sigh as he put his head in his hands in shame. "So much for being your _Lion King!"_

Fear looked up at the yellow Emotion remorsefully. His voice was trembling as he said, "I'm so glad that you're getting back to your old self Twink…but unfortunately it appears that I'm becoming _my_ old self as well!"

Fear covered his face with his hands and groaned. "Let's just face it…I'm not brave! I'm over-sensitive and a coward!"

He looked at her desperately and shook his head in disbelief. "I can't comprehend why such a bright and beautiful Emotion like you, would possibly want to spend any time with me…"

Joy stepped forward and placed her hand on his arm reassuringly. "Please stop that Fuzz! You're breaking my heart!" She pleaded, her blue eyes full of anguish.

Fear was refusing to make eye-contact with her. Joy put her finger under his chin and slowly turned his head so that he was forced to look at her face. "Stop being so hard on yourself! I like it that you're sensitive instead of being aggressive or over-confident! And all of us can be cowards sometimes!"

Joy sighed and tapped her chest for emphasis. "I was being pretty cowardly these past few days and you don't even realize how strong you were! I mean the way you've been protecting me lately, it's…"

Joy trailed off as she noticed the look of horror in her purple co-worker's eyes. "Wha-what's wrong Fuzz?"

Fear was staring intently at her face, his whole body trembling as he stammered in a shrill voice, "Oh my gosh! Twink! You're bleeding from the corner of your mouth!"

"I…I am?!" Joy's eyes widened in surprise as she touched her lips tentatively. She looked at the red stain on her fingertip apprehensively. Then she did something that nearly made Fear faint from shock!

Joy casually licked the corner of her mouth and burst out laughing. "Oh Fuzz! I'm not bleeding! It's just strawberry jam!"

She pointed to the mess on the floor and explained to her mortified co-worker, "I thought you might like to have some jam with your cookies and when I dropped the tray, it exploded like a volcano!"

She glanced down and saw that the jam had also splattered her dress. Joy laughed and pointed out amicably, "Look! It's all over my dress and legs as well!"

Slowly, the shock disappeared from Fear's face. He looked at the carnage on the floor and sighed dismally, "But I ruined your cookies! You spent all that time making them and now we can't even enjoy them…"

A little twinkle appeared in Joy's eyes as she replied wryly, "Oh don't worry! We can still have our share of cookies…"

She leaned forward and cupped a hand over her mouth as she whispered, "You see, I left a few aside for Anger earlier and we will have those now!"

Joy gestured to the mess on the floor and added diabolically, "As for Anger…he can have these once we've gathered them from the floor! You've heard of the five second rule? Well how about we make an exception in this case and call it the five _minute_ rule!"

A look of surprise dawned on Fear's face as he contemplated Joy's suggestion. Finally, he gave a shrug and responded, "Okay…why not!"

Joy giggled as both she and Fear proceeded to pick the cookies off the floor and place them back on the tray.

"I'm sure Anger will be none the wiser and besides it serves him right!" Joy said tartly.

She winked at Fear and said, "You know the saying _an eye for an eye?_ Let's make this _an apple to the head, cookies from the floor!"_

Fear laughed in agreement. "Good one Joy!"

After they had finished picking up all the cookies, Joy took the tray and said with a chuckle, "Before I put these away, could I ask you to kiss my lips better?"

She touched a hand to her mouth and winced in mock discomfort. "When that jam hit my face, it really hurt!"

Fear smiled eagerly and took her in his arms. "I thought you'd never ask…"

 **The End.**


End file.
